GIFT   OF 


THROUGH  WARRING  COUNTRIES 
TO  THE  MOUNTAIN  OF  GOD 


--0-- 


An  Account  of  Some  of  the  Experiences  of 

Two  American  Bahaie  in  France,  England, 

Germany,  and  Other  Countries,  on 

Their  Way  to  Visit  Abdul  Baha 

in  the  Holy  Land,  in 

the  Year  1914. 


By 

Charles  Mason  Remey 


Aif 


J.D  inju  OUJLU2  AUTHUKJLTX  JJ'UK 
INTERPRETING  THE  TEACHINGS  OP  BAHA'O'LLAH. 

The  Circulation  of  this  Manuscript 
has  been  approved  by  the  Bahai  Publi 
cation  Committee. 


Copy  No  . 

TO 

It    f 


Facsimile  of  Author's  Manuscript. 

A  limited  number  of  copies  for 
private  distribution  only. 


380125 


Copy  No .  1.4'. 

To  /fcv^^.^i,  £7.  J^H^Ptv^s^P^^^i 


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................. 


380125 


ABDUL  BAHA. 


"And  it  shall  eome  to  pass  in  the  last 
days  that  the  Mountain  of  the  Lord's  House 
shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the 
mountains  and  shall  be  exalted  above  the 
hills,  and  all  nations  shall  flow  unto  it  " 

Isaiah  II  :  2. 

"For,  as  the  lightning  eometh  out  of 
the  East,  and  shineth  unto  the  West,  so 
shall  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be." 

St.  Matthew  XXIV  :  27. 

"Tarry  no  longer  for  He  has  eorce .   Be 
hold  His  Temple,  the  glory  dwelling  therein. 
It  'is  the  ancient  glory  with  a  new  roaini- 
f es  tation . " 

Baha'c'llah. 


INDEX 


--0-- 

I  Foreword 

II  Introductory  Outline  of  the  History 

of  The  Bahai  Movement 

III  Narrative  of  Travel 

IV  The  Bahai  Cause  and  Peace 

V  The  Voice  of  Universal  Peace 


Page 
6 

9 

19 

96 

106 


I . 

FOREWORD 


6 


FOREWORD . 

Inasmuch  as  the  thoughts  of  most  people  in  these  days  are  cen 
tered  upon  the  terrific  struggle  of  nations  now  in  progress  in 
Europe,  and  the  -solution  of  the  causes  of  this  cataclysm,  the 
time  seems  opportune  for  me  to  write  an  account  of  some  of 
the  experiences  which  befell  my  companion,  George  Latimer,  and 
myself  in  the  war  countries  during  the  Spring,  Summer,  and  Fall 
of  1914,  of  our  journey  to  Syria,  and  our  visit  there  with  Abdul 
Sana,  who  is  the  head  of  the  Bahai  movement,  who  offers  to  hu 
manity  the  solution,  a  spiritual  remedy,  for  this  great  human  ill 
of  war  which  is  now  devastating  the  world. 

Abdul  Baha's  talks,  herein  quoted,  given  in  Persian,  were 
for  the  most  part  translated  verbally,  as  he  spoke,  by  Mirza 
Ahmed  Sohrab,  and  taken  down  in  English  by  my  companion,  Mr. 
Latimer. 

The  large  photograph  of  Abdul  Baha  here  reproduced  was  taken 
by  Herr  Consul  Schwarz  in  his  home  in 'Stuttgart ,  and  some  of  the 
other  photographs  used  in  illustrating  this  folio  were  taken  by 
Mr.  Latimer  while  we  were  in  Syria. 

I  wish  to  express  my  sincere  appreciation  for  the  services 
of  these  friends  in  connection  with  this  compilation. 

C.  M.  R. 

Honolulu,  Hawaii,  July,  1915. 


ABDUL  BAHA  IN  A  MEETING  OF  BAHAIS  IN  LONDON 


GROUP  OF  BAHAIS  IN  THE  STUDIO  OF 
MR.  EDWIN  SCOTT  IN  PARIS 


8 


I! 

INTRODUCTORY 

OUTLINE  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF 

THE  BAHIA  MOVEMENT  AND  ITS  RELATIONS 

TO  THE  RELIGIONS  OF  THE  PAST. 


9 


HISTORY  OP  THE  BAHAI  MOVEMENT. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  almost  every  line  of  thought  the 
present  time  can  be  seen  to  be  one  of  change  and  transition. 
Nowhere  is  this  more  apparent  than  in  the  religious  world. 

The  present  religious  evolution  of  the  world  is  not  at  all 
confined  to  the  personal  observation  of  the  few,  for  during  the 
past  ten  years  such  changes  have  taken  place  as  to  quite  con 
vince  all  fair-minded  persons  that  now,  for  the  first  time  in 
the  history  of  the  human  race,  the  soul  of  the  world  is  awaken 
ing  spiritually,  and  is  now  demanding  a  religious  teaching  that 
is  pure  and  free  from  the  human  thoughts  which  in  every  re 
ligious  teaching  has  sooner  or  later  obscured  the  simple  and  di 
rect  truths,  encrusting  them  in  a  labyrinth  of  speculations, 
doctrines,  and  theologies. 

This  awakening  is  clearly  seen  in  the  universal  modern  re 
ligious  awakening  in  the  Christian  world,  whereas,  as  one  travels 
into  the  Orient,  one  sees  a  parallel  religious  change  and  spir 
itual  awakening  and  unrest  quite  manifest  among  the  Jews, 
Moslems,  Buddhists,  Hindus,  and  peoples  of  other  religions,  all 
of  which  shows  that  in  this  day  the  religious  world  throughout 
all  countries  is  awake  and  searching  for  some  new  light,  for 
which  it  feels  the  need. 

In  looking  backwards  over  the  history  of  man,  it  is  clearly 
seen  that  whenever  peoples  have  needed  changes  of  moral  ideals 
and  institutions,  religious  or  secular,  that  need  has  been 
supplied. 

The  most  enlightened  of  the  people  have  realized  the  in 
efficiency  of  the  present  systems  to  give  to  the  people  the 
moral  and  spiritual  inspiration  and  force  which  they  need  to 
re-mold  or  to  re-form  the  institutions,  moral  and  social,  of 
the  day,  and  realizing  this  need  the  people  have  set  about  to 
find  a  practical  philosophy  which,  when  applied,  would  give  the 
desired  result. 

In  such  times  of  suffering  and  social  unrest  the  great  world 
reformers  have  arisen,  the  great  spiritual  leaders  of  men, 
those  holy  souls  who  have  revealed  spiritual  truth  to  the  peo 
ple.   Through  these  great  divine  souls  the  masses  of  the  people 
have  been  freed  from  the  superstitions  and  worn-out  religious 
forms  and  imaginations  of  the  past,  the  negative  power  of  which 
has  held  humanity  back  from  positive  progress. 

10 


The  great  world  teachers  have  broken  into  the  mental  and 
moral  limitations  of  the  people  of  their  age,  thus  freeing  them 
from  the  limitations  of  their  own  psychology.   Thus  the  people 
have  arisen  above  their  surrounding  conditions  to  become  the 
foundations  of  new  and  higher  orders  of  civilizations  in  the 
world . 

Such  a  leader,  reformer,  and  revealer  of  truth  was  Abraham 
the  Prophet,  who  went  out  from  the  land  of  Ur  leading  a  small 
band  of  people  who  were  oppressed,  but  who,  under  his  spiritual 
guidance,  became  a  great  people. 

Centuries  passed,  and  in  time  the  children  of  Abraham  lost 
their  spiritual  ideals  and  power,  and  finally  found  themselves 
in  a  state  of, bondage  and  slavery.   Then,  at  the  moment  of 
greatest  necessity,  another  divine  leader  appeared  in  the  person 
of  the  Prophet  Moses,  through  whom  the  higher  law  of  the  Creator 
was  again  revealed,  and  through  following  him,  and  the  line  of 
inspired  prophets  who  came  after  him,  this  once  oppressed  peo 
ple,  now  freed  from  their  limitations,  founded  a  great  civiliza 
tion,  the  glories  of  which  are  depicted  in  both  sacred  and  pro 
fane  history. 

Again  the  people  lost  the  inspiration  of  the  burning  truth, 
and  the  time  came  when  their  religion  was  but  the  shell  of  its 
former  spiritual  power,  having  many  outward  forms,  but  none  of 
that  spirit  which  had  characterized  its  earlj  days,  the  epoch 
of  its  spiritual  power  and  development. 

Then  it  was  that  The  Messiah  appeared,  and  The  Christ  was 
revealed  through  the  Holy  Person  of  Jesus,  who  took  upon  Himself 
all  of  the  trials  and  burdens  of  the  world  in  order  to  teach 
the  people  that  they  might  know  spiritual  truth  and  be  freed 
from  the  superstitions  of  the  ancient  regime  of  priestly  hier 
archy  which  held  them  in  thraldom,  and  that  the  peace  of  the 
spirit  might  be  theirs. 

The  spiritual  ideals  and  divine  inspiration  of  Christianity 
were  spread  throughout  the  western  world,  and  the  great  civil 
ization  of  Christendom  was  the  fruit  of  the  divine  mission  of 
The  Christ. 

Also,  in  various  ages  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  there 
arose  great  prophets  and  divine  philosophers  manifesting  to  the 
people  the  glory  and  the  reality  of  divine  truth.   Mohammed, 
Zoroaster,  Buddha,  Confucius;  each  arose  in  a  time  of  need  and 
gave  the  people  the  inspiration  which  they  needed  to  lift  them 
above  the  natural  condition  of  the  times,  to  free  themselves 

11 


from  ignorance,  oppression,  immorality,  and  suffering,  through 
finding  a  new  force  and  a  new  spiritual  conception  of  truth,  or 
religion.   Through  knowing  the  truth  they  were  made  free. 

Now,  in  these  present  days,  the  people  of  the  world  are 
suffering  because  of  ignorance  and  bondage,  ignorance  of  the 
spiritual  law  of  Christ,  and  the  bondage  of  materialism  and 
national  and  racial  class  and  religioias  hatred,  all  of  which, 
taken  together,  produce  the  human  destructive  agents  of  strife 
and  war . 

Ponder  over  it!   In  Europe  today  millions  of  Christians  are 
lined  up  in  battle  against  their  Christian  brethren  of  other 
nations,  and  slaying  thousands.  Hatred  and  greed  have  taken  the 
place  in  men's  lives  which  the  true  spirit  of  Christianity 
should  occupy.   True  religion  is  needed.   In  view  of  this  need 
people  are  awakening  to  the  fact  that  below  the  surface  of  this 
trouble  there  is  a  spiritual  lack,  a  great  religious  need  in  the 
world  in  general.   Such  conditions  could  not  exist  if  the  Chris 
tian  peoples  understood  and  lived  the  spiritual  realities  of 
Christianity. 

In  this  day  of  need,  as  in  parallel  epochs  of  old,  the  peo 
ple  are  realizing  a  condition  of  spiritual  famine  in  the  world, 
and  thousands  of  hungering  souls  are  seeking  the  light  of  God, 
whicih  alone  can  remedy  the  trouble.  Now,  as  in  similar  times 
of  past  need,  a  great  spiritual  teacher  has  again  arisen — arisen 
in  the  East— bringing  a  message  of  spirit  and  of  peace  to  the 
v/orld,  and,  like  the  messages  of  the  past,  His  coming  is  spir 
itually  and  psychologically  very  timely,  and  is  meeting  the 
needs  of  the  people  of  the  day. 

The  mission  of  Baha'o'llah  is  the  infusing  of  spirituality 
and  the  spirit  of  brotherhood  into  humanity.   His  teaching 
comes  as  a  renewal  of  the  original  spirit  of  the  religions  of 
the  past.  It  confirms  one  in  one's  own  religion,  whether  one  be 
Christian,  Jew,  Moslem,  or  of  any  of  the  other  religions,  and  at 
the  same  time  it  teaches  man  of  the  oneness  of  all  truth.   Thus 
the  enlightened  soul  knows  all  true  religion  as  one  truth,  and 
he  sees  all  men  as  brothers  under  the  bounty  of  one  Father,  the 
Creator. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  May,  in  the  year  1844,  that  the  fore 
runner  of  Baha'o'llah  appeared  in  the  Orient,  in  the  city  of 
Shiraz,  in  Persia.   He  was  known  as  The  Bab,  which  means  "'The 

Doer'  '  or  «  'The  Gate-.  '  ' 

The  Bab  arose  with  great  devotion  and  a  superhuman  spiritual 
power,  through  which  he  was  enabled  to  penetrate  the  hearts  and 

12 


souls  of  the  people  with  His  glad  tidings  of  the  near  approach 
of  the  great  world-teacher  whose  mission  would  be  that  of  estab 
lishing  in  the  world  universal  raligious  tolerance,  brotherhood, 
and  peace.   The  Bab  sacrificed  His  all  in  exhorting  the  people 
to  prepare  themselves  and  to  be  awaiting  the  advent  of  this 
great  Promised  One  whose  coming  had  been  heralded  in  the  pro 
phesies  of  the  religions  of  the  past.   The  Bab  prepared  the 
people  to  be  ready  to  follow  the  Promised  One  when  He  should 
appear. 

Many  people  arose  against  The  Bab  and  His  followers  to 
exterminate  the  new  teaching.   Led  by  their  fanatical  priests, 
the  Moslems  killed  many  thousands  of  the  followers,  and  The  Bab 
Himself  suffered  a  martyr's  death,  all  to  the  advancement  of 
the  Cause,  which  prospered  under  this  most  violent  opposition. 

In  the  ninth  year  after  the  declaration  of  The  Bab, 
Baha'o'llah,  the  Promised  One,  arose.   He  manifested  the  spir 
itual  wisdom  and  power  foretold  by  The  Bab,  and  He  fulfilled  the 
spiritual  signs  by  which  The  Bab  had  taught  the  people  to  know 
and  recognize  Him. 

Baha'o'llah  was  met  by  the  same  spirit  of  persecution  which 
had  been  manifested  by  the  people  against  The  First  Point  of  the 
Revelation,  The  Bab.   The  superstitious  and  fanatical  Moslem 
clexgy,  seeing  their  hold  over  the  people  giving  way  as  the 
number  of  the  followers  of  Baha'o'llah  increased,  arose  with 
renewed  efforts  to  assail  the  Cause.   All  manner  of  troubles  and 
trials  were  heaped  upon  Baha'o'llah  and  his  followers.   He  was 
exiled  from  Persia  to  Bagdad,  in  Arabia,  then  to  Constantinople 
and  to  Adrianople,  in  Roumelia,  and,  lastly,  to  the  fortress  of 
Akka,  in  the  Holy  Land.   Here  He  suffered  and  labored  for  over 
twenty  years,  until  the  Spring  of  1892,  when  he  passed  quietly 
from  this  world,  after  His  divine  mission  of  forty  years  of  im 
prisonment,  exile,  persecution,  and  hardship. 

Baha'o'llah  suffered  all  things  in  order  that  His  Cause 
Eight  be  establshed  in  the  world;  in  order  that  the  foundation 
of  universal  religious  brotherhood,  the  oneness  of  humanity, 
justice,  and  peace  might  be  laid  in  the  hearts  of  men.   Upon  His 
departure  from  this  world  He  left  a  living  testimonial  of  His 
spiritual  mission  in  the  Bahai  Movement,  and  he  provided  for  the 
guidance  of  the  Cause  after  His  departure  by  commending  all  of 
his  followers  to  the  direction  and  guidance  of  His  son  Abdul 
Baha. 

Abdul  Baha,  who  shared  the  exile  and  imprisonment  of  Baha 
'o'llah,  is  now  interpreting  and  explaining  the  teachings  of  The 

13 


Movement,  and  in  his  life  of  service  to  the  people  about  him  is 
demonstrating  the  principles  of  Baha'o'llah.   He  is  bringing 
these  spiritual  ideals  into  the  hearts  and  lives  of  the  many 
people  who  come  in  contact  with  him  and  receive  His  teachings. 

For  forty  years  Abdul  Baha  was  a  State  prisoner  and  an  exile 
in  the  Fortress  of  Akka,  from  1868,  when  he  was  taken  there  with 
Baha'o'llah,  until  1908,  when  the  old  Turkish  government  gave 
way  to  the  reestablishment  of  the  Ottoman  Constitution  of  1876, 
which  had  been  crushed  by  the  despotism  of  the  regime  of  the 
Sultans.   When  this  political  change  took  place  in  Turkey,  all 
of  the  religious  and  political  prisoners  throughout  the  Ottoman 
demains  were  liberated,  and  thus  Abdul  Baha  was  no  longer  held  in 
confinement. 

After  his  freedom  Abdul  Baha  spent  some  months  teaching  in 
Egypt,  made  one  trip  to  Europe,  and  still  another  tour  to  America, 
and  again  through  Europe.   In  many  cities  He  was  received  most 
warmly  by  religious,  philosophic,  and  philanthropic  leaders,  and 
everywhere  He  went  the  people  wei»e  cheered  by  his  spirit  of  love, 
affection,  and  peace. 

In  the  western  world  Abdul  Baha  gave  the  message  of  Baha 
'o'llah  from  the  pulpits  of  Christian  churches  of  many  denomina 
tions,  in  the  synagogues  of  the  Jews,  and  in  the  meetings  of 
Atheists  and  Free  Thinkers,  as  well  as  before  philosophical  so 
cieties,  universities,  and  other  educational  and  social  institu 
tions,  and  in  all  places  the  people  gladly  welcomed  and  accepted 
the  universal  principles  of  The  Bahai  Movement,  and  all  recog 
nized  that  the  world  of  today  is  ready  and  needs  the  application 
of  these  broad,  humanitarian  ideals  in  every  walk  of  life,  both 
religious  and  social. 

Here  and  there  in  various  parts  of  the  world  are  groups  of 
people  of  different  races,  nationalities,  and  religions,  meeting 
together  to  study  the  teachings   and  principles  of  The  Bahai 
teaching,  and  many  people  are  working  and  serving  in  various 
ways  in  this  Cause. 

The  Bahi  Movement  has  neither  clergy  nor  organized  priest 
hood  apart  from  the  laity.   All  people  are  teachers,  each  in  his 
own  fields  or  sphere  of  life.   Some  are  able  and  have  the  means 
to  go  about  and  lecture  and  teach  publicly,  while  others  remain 
at  home,  and  in  their  daily  lives  in  the  world  find  on  every 
hand  ample  opportunity  for  giving  forth  to  others  the  spiritual 
knowledge  which  is  theirs.   Thus  in  all  activities  they  are 
working  harmoniously  with  all  people  for  the  accomplishment  of 
universal  brotherhood,  harmony,  and  peace. 

14 


ABDUL  BAHA  WITH  SOME  EAHAIS  IN  STUTTGART 


ABDUL  BAHA  WITH  SOME  OTHER  EAHAIS  IN 
STUTTGART 


15 


Through  the  illumination  and  the  soul -unit ing  spirit  of  The 
Bahai  Cause  the  people  who  are  thus  touched  by  it  are  freed  from  . 
avarice,  enmity,  and  prejudice.   Thus  negative  forces  find  no 
place  in  their  natures,  while  upon  the  other  hand  they  are 
filled  with  the  positive  force  of  harmony,  unity,  and  brother 
hood  toward  the  people  of  all  nations,  races,  and  religions. 

The  Cause  of  Baha'o'llah  is  striking  a  fatal  blow  at  this 
great  chimera  of  war.   Though  the  Cause  is  but  in  its  infancy, 
its  sympathizers  are  many  and  are  spread  throughout  the  people 
of  all  races,  nations,  and  religions.   Its  spirit  is  undermining 
the  spirit  of  war  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  through  putting  an 
end  to  greed,  prejudice,  and  hate,  which  are  the  real  cause  of 
war. 

This  change  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  is  being  accom 
plished  through  teaching  and  living  harmony  and  justice, 
through  inculcating  into  people's  minds  and  hearts  the  construc 
tive  principles  of  peace  and  harmony,  and  through  their  living 
in  conformity  with  the  teachings  of  The  Bahai  Movement,  which 
are  none  other  than  the  sum  total  of  all  the  moral  and  spiritual 
teachings  of  all  religions. 

The  Bahai  Cause  confirms  and  fulfills,  and  does  not  destroy 
the  religions  of  the  past.   It  makes  each  soul  strong  in  the 
true  spirit  of  his  own  religion,  and  as  one  understands  and 
lives  the  true  spirit  of  one's  own  religion  one  finds  oneself  at 
peace  with  God  and  with  all  the  world.  Thus  are  the  people  real 
izing  the  oneness  of  all  true  religion  and  the  necessity  for 
recognizing  this  truth.   Through  this  knowledge  comes  a  unity 
and  a  solidarity  between  peoples  of  different  religions,  which 
is  basic  and  which  humanity  needs  to  realize. 

This  is  a  condition  of  spirit  and  soul,  which,  working  in 
the  world,  is  destined  to  overcome  all  inharmonious  obstacles. 

The  Cause  is  growing,  and  it  is  but  a  matter  of  time  before 
people  in  general  will  realize  that  these  are  the  principles 
upon  which  our  new  civilization  must  be  built,  for  its  princi 
ples  are  constructive  for  the  harmony  of  all  peoples  and  for  the 
oneness  of  all  humanity. 

The  Bahai  Teaching  stands  for  the  oneness  of  mankind.   It 
exhorts  people  to  study  into  these  religious  and  social  ques 
tions  which  are  now  facing  the  world,  and  with  fairness  of  mind 
grasp  all  constructive  teachings  and  ideals  which  make  for  real 
peace  and  prosperity,  and  not  to  follow  blindly  in  the  paths  of 
the  thinkers  of  the  past,  for  in  the  present  day  there  are  new 
problems  which  can  never  be  solved  as  long  as  people  continue 
blindly  in  the  way  of  the  people  of  the  past. 

16 


The  foundation  of  all  true  religion  is  one  foundation,  which 
is  the  Divine  Word.   Upon  this  foundation  The  Bahai  Movement 
is  uniting  Christians,  Jews,  and  Moslems  with  the  peoples  of 
the  far  eastern  religions,  uniting  them  in  the  strongest  bonds 
of  the  spirit  of  unity  and  oneness.   This  is  not  a  mere  tolerance 
of  peoples  of  different  religions,  but  a  most  vital  spirit  of 
life  and  of  love,  which  in  the  Bahai  Religion  unites  these  many 
heterogeneous  religious  elements  into  one  living  brotherhood, 
which  is  growing  and  expanding  in  many  parts  of  the  world.   It  is 
ahead  of,  yet  in  line  with  the  spirit  of  the  new  age  now  dawning; 
therefore,  its  growth  and  future  are  assured. 

Irreligion  or  fanaticism  has  been  the  greatest  cause  of  war. 
The  most  bloody  wars  of  history  have  been  so-called  ''religious 
wars,'   brought  about  by  a  misconception  of  true  religion.   Thus 
by  creating  amity  between  the  religions,  races,  and  nations  a 
blow  is  beir.g  struck  at  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  war. 

Different  religious  teachings,  each  with  its  own  system  of 
education  and  institutions  tend  toward  separation  and  division 
of  the  human  race  rather  than  uniting  it,  whereas  the  original 
spirit  and  intent  of  each  great  Divine  teacher  was  to  illumine 
the  people  and  to  unite  them  and  do  away  with  all  differences. 

Religion  should  be  the  means  of  harmony  among  men.   If  it 
fails  in  this  unity,  it  is  not  fulfilling  its  mission,  therefore 
would  not  be  vital  spiritual  force,  but  merely  an  outward  form. 
In  this  day  people  need  a  spiritually  vital  religion.   The  day 
is  past  for  empty  forms  and  imitations. 

According  to  the  teaching  as  demonstrated  by  Abdul  Baha, 
there  is  no  conflict  between  spiritual  and  material  truth,  be 
tween  true  religious  teaching  upon  one  hand,  and  science  and 
reason  upon  the  other.   These  go  hand  in  hand  and  must  be  in 
harmony  one  with  the  other  for  the  real  advancement  of  mankind. 

This  Cause  stands  for  the  equal  advantage,  rights,  priv 
ileges,  and  responsibilities  of  the  sexes,  and  its  teachings 
urge  people  to  abandon  all  prejudices  and  fanaticism  in  order 
that  the  highest  humanitarian  ideals  for  the  progress  of  the 
world  may  become  realized. 

Educational  advantages  for  all,  and  a  solution  of  the  econ 
omic  problem  between  capital  and  labor,  as  well  as  other  ques 
tions  which  d.eal  with  the  general  betterment  of  the  masses  of 
the  people  are  dwelt  upon  and  explained  at  length  in  the  inter- 

17 


pretations  and  explanations  of  Abdul  Baha.  These  problems  must 
be  solved  before  peace  and  harmony  in  all  of  its  aspects  can  be 
realized. 

It  is  significant  of  the  all-encompassing  spirit  of  the 
founders  of  the  Bahai  Cause  that  long  before  the  attention  of 
the  world  in  general  was  called  to  consider  universalism  in 
its  many  aspects  Baha'o'llah  and  Abdul  Baha  were  teaching  human - 
itarianism  to  be  greater  than  patriotism,  universal  peace  and 
arbitration,  the  voice  of  the  people  in  matters  which  concern 
their  welfare,  equal  suffrage,  a  universal  language,  universal 
education,  and  all  of  these  universal  principles  which  must  come 
for  the  best  good  of  humanity  and  its  peace. 

The  Bahai  Cause  stands  primarily  for  the  spiritual  union  and 
harmony  of  all  peoples  of  all  religions.   With  this  basis  of 
divine  love  and  brotherhood  as  the  foundation  of.  the  new  order 
of  united  humanity,  religious,  racial,  and  national  hatred  will 
disappear  and  all  the  peoples  of  the  world  will  become  one  great 
world  people. 

Religion  has  ever  been  the  foundation  of  civilization,  no 
civilization  ever  having  developed  and  evolved  apart  from  the 
inspiration  and  high  morals  and  ideals  of  religion  in  its  truest 
and  purest  sense.   Thus  logically  with  all  reason,  with  all 
faith,  and  with  spiritual  assurance  the  world  may  look  forward 
to  the  great  universal  civilization  which  will  evolve  through 
the  inspiration,  morals,  ideals,  and  institutions  founded  upon 
the  principles  of  the  One  Great  Universal  Religion,  established 
by  the  great  universal  v/orld  teacher,  whose  coming  has  been  an 
nounced  by  Christ  and  the  prophets  for  the  fulfillment  of  the 
religious  truths  of  the  past  and  for  the  establishment  of  this 
new  age  of  Truth  on  Earth. 


18 


Ill 

NARRATIVE 


19 


NARRATIVE 

It  was  in  Washington,  D.C.,  in  the  midsummer  of  1912,  that  I 
first  met  George  Latimer,  who  was  then  on  his  return  across  the 
continent  to  his  home  in  Portland,  Oregon,  from  a  visit  of  some 
clays  with  Abdul  Baha,  who  was  then  in  America  spending  several 
weeks  in  Dublin,  New  Hampshire,  iv'y  new  friend  had  for  several 
years  been  surrounded  in  his  home  by  the  atmosphere  of  the  Bahai 
thought,  but,  like  many  others,  personal  contact  with  the  center 
of  The  Bahai  Cause  had  awakened  him  to  the  spiritual  needs  of 
these  times.   Moved  by  all  he  had  experienced  while  with  Abdul 
Baha  and  with  the  energy  and  life  of  a  young  man  just  out  of 
college,  he  wished  to  do  some  service  for  the  Cause  for  which  so 
many  have  given  their  lives,  not  counting  it  a  sacrifice,  but 
their  greatest  joy  and  blessing  so  to  do.   I  recall  how  we,  in 
company  with  another  young  Bahai,  sat  up  late  one  night  talking 
of  the  great  work  to  be  done,  I  recounting  to  them  some  expe 
riences  in  the  Orient  while  travelling  among  the  Bahais.   Then  in 
our  conversation  George  and  I  began  to  dream  and  hope  that  we 
might  some  day  go  forth  together  and  travel  from  country  to 
country  trying  to  serve  in  spreading  the  Cause . 

That  evening  of  aspiration  was  the  beginning  of  new  things 
for  us.   We  wrote  to  Abdul  Baha  of  our  desire  to  work  together, 
and  in  due  time  we  had  his  approval  and  were  made  happy  by  the 
prospect  of  serving  together. 

It  was  some  months  later  that  a  call  came  to  us  from  Abdul  Baha 
to  visit  the  Bahai  centers  throughout  America  and  to  go  to  Hawaii. 

We  met  in  Honolulu  and  began  to  realize  our  one  hope  of  ser 
vice  together.   After  a  stay  of  two  months  in  the  Hawaiian 
Islands  we  returned  to  the  States,  visiting  the  Bahai  centers  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  before  parting,  my  friend  returning  to  his 
home  in  the  west,  while  I  travelled  on  through,  visiting  the 
assemblies  toward  the  Atlantic  coast. 

Our  journey  was  a  spiritual  blessing  and  a  -great  confirma 
tion  to  our  faith.   Upon  every  side  we  saw  the  growth  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  of  the  principles  of  the  Bahai  Cause.   The 
year  previous  the  people  had  come  into  very  close  touch  with 
Abdul  Baha.   He  had  visited  most  of  the  l,°rge  assemblies  in  the 
States  and  from  the  smaller  centers  off  from  his  route  of  travel 
people  had  come  to  meet  him  and  to  receive  from  him.   Everywhere 
he  sowed  the  seeds  of  love  and  amity  in  the  hearts  of  the  people 
by  explaining  and  proclaiming  the  universal  basic  truths  of  re- 

20 


GROUP  TAKEN  AT  THE  HOME  OF 
HERR  AND  FRAU  CONSUL  SCHWARTZ 


FOUR  YOUNG  BAHAIS  OF  ESSLINGEN 


21 


ligion,  thus  making  clear  to  every  hearer  the  letter  and  the 
spirit  of  the  Bahai  Cause.   These  truths  had  taken  such  root  in 
the  hearts   of  the  people  that  in  all  the  assemblies  we  felt  the 
spirit  of  love  and  unity  and  the  firmness  of  the  faith  of  the 
people  in  The  Divine  Covenant  of  Religion.  Whereas,  before  Abdul 
Baha's  journey  of  teaching,  the  people  in  general  had  been  at 
tracted  to  The  Bahai  Cause  and  i,ts  principles  of  the  Fatherhood 
of  God  and  the  brotherhood  of  man,  after  his  journey  in  America 
the  people  through  contact  with  him  became  confirmed  in  the 
Cause,  realizing  it  to  be  indeed  the  Cause  of  God  and  the  most 
important  of  all  matters,  and  the  source  of  spiritual  inspira 
tion.   Thus  many  arose  to  serve  and  aid  in  various  ways  in  tak 
ing  this  message  of  glad  tidings  to  others,  of  whom  there  are 
many  seeking  that  assurance  and  inspiration  which  a  live  and  ac 
tive  faith  and  good  works  alone  can  give. 

In  the  Cause  of  Baha'o'llah,  as  applied  and  interpreted  by 
Abdul  Baha,  the  people  find  the  source  of  spiritual  light,  which 
light  when  thrown  upon  the  teachings  of  the  religions  makes  the 
ancient  truths,  freed  from  the  superstitions  of  the  past,  the 
living  truths  of  this  day. 

Wherever  Abdul  Baha  went  he  carried  with  him  good  cheer, 
hope,  and  assurance.   He  found  the  people  sad,  he  made  them 
happy;  wavering,  he  made  them  firm;  divided,  he  united  them  in 
the  love  of  the  Lord. 

Many  souls  in  spiritual  difficulties  went  to  Abdul  Baha  and 
had  their  faith  renewed  to  such  an  extent  that  they  are  now  de 
voting  their  lives  to  the  furtherance  of  unity  and  brotherhood 
through  helpful  service  to  humanity. 

Such  is  the  spirit  of  the  real  Bahai s,  those  who  have  been 
quickened  by  the  light  of  the  new  spiritual  era  now  in  its  dawn, 
the  light  of  which  is  destined  to  change  this  earth  from  a  bat- • 
tie  field  into  a  garden  of  peace,  and  its  people  from  their 
present  destructive  ferocious  characteristics  to  those  of  con 
structive  prosperity  and  harmony. 

The  true  Bahais  are  showing  forth  such  a  spirit  of  tolerance 
and  love  for  the  peoples  of  all  religious  cults  and  sects  that, 
despite  all  conditions,  the  people  are  attracted  to  this  light, 
for  in  the  spirit  which  emanates  from  Abdul  Baha  and  from  those 
who  in  reality  follow  in  his  path  of  service  to  humanity,  all 
people  find  the  realization  of  the  highest  spiritual  ideals  of 
their  own  religion,  whichever  it  maybe. 

Subsequent  to  our  first  travels  together,  Abdul  Baha  wrote 
to  Mr.  Latimer's  mother  in  October,  1913:  ''If  it  be  possible 

22 


that  these  two  be  together  it  will  become  the  cause  of  greater 
confirmation. ' ' 

In  February,  1914,  another  word  came  from  Abdul  Baha  ad 
dressed  to  me :  ''If  it  is  possible,  make  a  journey  to  Europe 
during  the  season  of  the  Spring.   In  the  various  countries  of 
Europe  cry  in  the  name  of  The  Covenant  of  God,  especially  in 
Germany  and  Prance.' 

Again  Mr.  Latimer  joined  me,  coming  to  Washington,  D.C., 
from  his  home  on  the  western  coast,  and  a  few  days  later,  on 
March  27,  we  sailed  from  New  York  for  Cherbourg  en  route  for 
Paris. 

PARIS 

It  was  in  the  winter  of  1898  that  the  first  party  of  Ameri 
can  Bahai  pilgrims  passed  through  Paris  on  their  way  to  Abdul 
Baha,  who  was  then  in  exile  in  Akka.   They  remained  in  Paris  for 
a  short  while  and  through  them  several  people  living  in  Paris 
for  the  first  time  heard  of  the  Bahai  Cause.   Among  these  was 
U±BB  May  Bolls,  now  Mrs.  Wm.  S.  Maxwell,  who  enthusiastically 
responded  to  the  call  of  The  Bahai  Message,  and  joined  the  party 
of  pilgrims  going  to  the  Holy  Land,  where  she  met  Abdul  Baha  and 
shortly  afterwards  returned  to  Paris  as  the  first  resident  Bahai 
worker  in  that  city. 

With  great  firmness  and  devotion  to  the  Cause,  and  at  all 
times  turned  toward  Abdul  Baha  for  his  help  and  guidance,  this 
lady  spoke  of  The  Movement  with  many  people,  and  from  among 
these  there  soon  came  forth  a  group  of  about  twenty  souls 
touched  by  the  Bahai  spirit,  and  firm  in  the  Covenant  of  Baha- 
'o'llah,  whose  united  idea  was  to  serve  and  carry  to  others  this 
message  of  light.   In  brief,  such  was  the  beginning  of  the  Bahai 
Movement  in  Paris.   Most  of  the  early  believers  eventually  left 
France,  some  going  to  America  and  other  countries,  where  they 
engaged  in  the  work.   The  centers  in  Honolulu  and  in  Montreal, 
Canada,  were  direct  off -shoots  from  the  Paris  assembly,  while 
other  assemblies  in  various  parts  were  reinforced  by  workers 
from  France. 

In  all  places  the  welfare  and  the  spiritual  prosperity  of 
the  Cause  is  proportionate  with  the  degree  of  the  firmness  and 
the  confirmation  of  the  friends  in  abiding  by  the  truth,  in 
following  in  their  lives  and  conduct  the  teachings,  and  striving 
earnestly  to  follow  Abdul  Baha  by  carrying  in  word  and  in  spirit 
this  message  to  the  people.   This  principle  was  clearly  demon 
strated  in  Paris.   In  those  early  pioneer  days  of  the  Cause  in 

23 


Prance  the  work  was  not  easy  for  the  friends.   Hardly  any  of  the 
Bahai  writings  had  been  translated  into  any  western  language, 
while  nothing  at  all  had  been  put  into  print.   Nevertheless,  the 
people  knew  that  the  * 'Promised  One'   had  appeared  in  the  person 
of  Baha'o'llah,  and  that  Abdul  Baha  was  the  testament  of  Baha- 
'o'llah  living  in  the  world  today,  so  with  the  aid  of  a  few 
manuscript  copies  of  some  of  Baha'o'llah's  words,  and  by  looking 
always  towards  Abdul  Baha,  depending  upon  the  instructions  and 
advices  received  from  him,  the  Cause  found  firm  root  in  the 
characters  and  lives  of  certain  souls  who  arose  to  follow  in  the 
path  and  to  serve . 

Many  of  the  Bahai s  will  recall  the  beautiful  eulogy  written 
by  Abdul  Baha  upon  the  occasion  of  the  passing  from  this  world 
of  Thomas  Breakwell,  who  was  one  of  the  first  Bahais  who  heard 
of  the  message  in  Paris. 

This  young  man  responded  with  burning  zeal  to  the  spirit  of 
the  teaching.  He  hastened  to  the  Holy  Land  to  meet  Abdul  Baha, 
and  then  returned  to  France  to  serve.  His  life  was  an  inspira 
tion  to  all,  and  his  passing  from  this  world  into  eternal  ser 
vice  in  the  realms  beyond  caused  his  friends  to  realize  his  il 
lumination  of  soul. 

I  was  at  that  time  living  in  Paris  and  recall  vividly  the 
influence  of  Breakwell  upon  all  who  knew  him.   It  was  the  influ 
ence  of  one  severed  from  this  world  and  wholly  turned  toward 
God.   His  spirit  lived  after  him  and  continued  to  be  a  never- 
ending  inspiration. 

The  following  eulogy  from  a  tablet,  letter,  written  by 
Abdul  Baha,  is  an  eternal  monument  testifying  to  the  purity  and 
fervor  of  Breakwell 's  faith.   It  runs  as  follows: 

'  'Do  not  lament  over  the  depai'ture  of  my  dearly  beloved 
Breakwell,  for  verily  he  has  ascended  to  the  luminous  rose- 
garden  in  the  Abha  kingdom,  near  the  Mercy  of  his  Lord,  the 
Almighty,  and  is  crying  out  with  the  loudest  voice:  '0,  that  my 
people  knew  how  my  Lord  hath  forgiven  me  and  made  me  one  of 
those  who  have  attained. ' 

0,  Breakwell,  my  Beloved!   Where  is  thy  beautiful  counte 
nance,  and  where  is  thy  eloquent  tongue?  Where  is  thy  radiant 
brow,  and  where  is  thy  brilliant  face? 

0,  Breakwell,  my  Beloved!  Where  is  thy  enkindlement  with  the 
Fire  of  the  Love  of  God,  and  where  is  thy  attention  to  the  Fra 
grances  of  God?  Where  is  thy  utterance  for  the  glorification  of 
God,  and  where  is  thy  rising  in  the  service  of  God? 

24 


0,  my  dear,  0,  Breakwell!  Where  are  thy  bright  eyes,  and 
where  are  thy  smiling  lips?  Where  are  thy  gentle  cheeks,  and 
where  is  thy  graceful  stature? 

0,  my  dear,  0,  Breakwell!   Verily  thou  hast  abandoned  this 
transitory  world  and  soared  upward  to  the  Kingdom,  hast  attained 
to  the  Grace  of  the  Invisible  Realm,  and  sacrificed  thyself  to 
the  Threshold  of  the  Lord  of  Might! 

0,  my  adored  one,  0,  Breakwell!   Verily  thou  hast  left  be 
hind  this  physical  lamp,  this  human  glass,  these  earthly  ele 
ments,  and  this  worldly  enjoyment. 

0,  my  adored  one,  0,  Breakwell!   Then  thou  hast  ignited  a 
light  in  the  Glass  of  the  Supreme  Concourse,  hast  entered  in  the 
Paradise  of  Abha,  art  protected  under  the  shade  of  the  Blessed 
Tree,  and  hast  attained  to  the  Meeting  of  the  True  One  in  the 
Abode  of  Paradise! 

0,  my  dearly  beloved,  0,  Breakwell!   Thou  hast  been  a  Divine 
bird,  and  forsaking  thy  earthly  nest,  thou  hast  soared  toward 
the  Holy  rose  gardens  of  the  Divine  Kingdom  and  obtained  a 
luminous  station  there ! 

0,  my  dearly  beloved,  0,  Breakwell!   Verily  thou  art  like 
unto  the  birds,  chanting  the  verses  of  thy  Lord,  the  Forgiving, 
for  thou  wert  a  thankful  servant,  therefore  thou  hast  entered  in 
the  Realm  beyond  with  joy  and  happiness! 

0,  my  beloved,  0,  Breakwell!  Verily  thy  Lord  has  chosen 
thee  for  His  Love,  guided  thee  to  the  Court  of  His  Holiness, 
caused  thee  to  enter  into  the  Rizwan  of  His  Association,  and 
granted  thee  to  behold  His  Beauty! 

0,  my  beloved,  0,  Breakwell!  Verily  thou  hast  attained  to 
the  Eternal  Life,  never-ending  bounty,  beatific  bliss,  and  im 
measurable  Providence ! 

0,  my  beloved,  0,  Breakwell!   Thou  hast  become  a  star  in  the 
most  exalted  horizon,  a  lamp  among  the  angels  of  heaven,  a  liv 
ing  spirit  in  the  Supreme  World,  and  art  established  upon  the 
throne  of  immortality! 

0,  my  adored  one,  0,  my  Breakwell!   I  supplicate  God  to  in 
crease  thy  nearness  and  communication,  to  make  thee  enjoy  thy 
prosperity  and  union  with  Him,  to  add  to  thy  light  and  beauty, 
and  to  bestow  upon  thee  glory  and  majesty. 

!  25 


0,  my  adored  one,  0,  my  Breakwell!   I  mention  thy  name  con 
tinually,  I  never  forget  thee,  I  pray  for  thee  day  and  night, 
and  I  see  thee  clearly  and  manifestly,  0,  my  adored  one,  0, 
Breakwell ! ' * 

On  each  of  Abdul  Baha's  two  trips  through  Europe  he  made 
visits  of  several  months  in  Paris,  where  daily  meetings  were 
held  for  the  many  people  who  crowded  to  receive  his  teaching. 
He  gave  addresses  before  various  .religious  bodies,  one,  the  most 
notable  of  which  was  from  the  pulpit  of  Pastor  Charles  Wagner, 
author  of  ''The  Simple  Life,*'  who  is  v/ell  known  in  the  western 
world  through  his  writings,  as  being  a  leader  broad  in  Christian 
thought,  nor  were  Abdul  Baha's  activities  confined  to  the  Pro 
testant  world.   His  message  was  for  all,  and  about  him  were 
clustered  many  Moslems,  Jews,  and  people  of  the  New  Thought,  all 
attracted  and  hoping  to  realize  the  ideals  which  he  taught,  for 
this  Cause  is  universal  and  for  all  people,  and  its  spiritual 
message  must  be  given  to  all,  and  all  gathered  into  the  one  fold 
of  brotherhood  before  union  can  come  upon  earth. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning  early  in  April  when  my  friend  and 
I  landed  at  Cherbourg  and  boarded  the  special  steamer  train  for 
Paris.   Warm  rains  and  the  Spring  sun  had  brought  out  the  leaves 
and  blossoms  in  profusion.   The  country  through  which  we  sped 
was  a  bower  of  beauty,  for  a  new  season  had  opened  up  and  the 
awakening  was  everywhere  visible  and  manifest. 

In  our  hearts  spiritually  we  were  as  joyous  as  the  passing 
scene  without,  for  we  felt  surging  within  us  a  love  for  humanity 
which  had  come  to  us  through  our  faith,  and  this  we  longed  to 
share  with  others,  that  they  also  might  have  a  portion  of  the 
Bahai  joy  of  being  permitted  to  serve  in  the  founding  of  the  new 
epoch  of  peace  and  brotherhood  among  men. 

When  the  heart  is  light,  time  passes  quickly.  In  an  incredi 
bly  short  space  of  time  after  leaving  Cherbourg  we  saw  the  late 
Gothic  tower  of  Bayeux  Cathedral  above  the  trees  and  the  roof 
tops  «of  the  town,  and  then,  as  if  by  leaps,  we  were  within  sight 
of  the  earlier  and  more  simple  spires  of  the  abbys  at  Caen,  then 
after  sighting  the  Cathedrals  of  Lisieux  and  Evreux  our  train 
pulled  into  the  grim  and  dusty  train  shed  of  the  Gare  St.  Lazare. 
We  were  in  Paris. 

We  were  not  long  in  meeting  our  Bahai  friends,  who  received 
us  most  cordially  into  their  midst,  and  thus  our  work  began. 

Paris,  as  I  had  known  it  as  a  student  some  ten  years  before, 
had  changed  very  much.   During  this  interim  the  separation  of 

26 


Church  and  State  had  taken  place,  and  a  wave  of  materialism  had 
followed,  which  was  a  phase  difficult  to  meet  and  to  overcome  in 
the  individual,  for  unless  a  soul  is  sufficiently  awake  to  ac 
knowledge  his  spiritual  needs  it  is  almost  impossible  for  one  to 
awaken  him.   Later  on  we  understood  that  Abdul  Baha  himself  had 
found  this  same  condition. 

Thus  we  spent  many  busy  days  and  the  struggle  was  intense, 
the  struggle  between  the  materialism  about  us  and  the  message 
within,  which  we  longed  to  give  to  the  people. 

Paris  is  the  very  heart  and  center  of  intellectual,  artis 
tic,  and  material  civilization  of  the  world.   In  these  matters 
she  leads  the  world,  but  her  people  were  not  then  seeking  those 
purely  spiritual  ideals  for  which  the  Bahai  Religion  stands. 

The  French  are  idealists  by  nature,  and  they  have  within 
them  great  spiritual  capacity  and  possibility,  for  when  once  en 
thused  with  an  idea  they  sacrifice  everything  for  it,  that  it 
may  be  realized  in  all  its  perfection.   This  is  seen  most  clear 
ly  in  the  French  art,  both  present  and  past.   Surely  when  the 
French  people  awaken  to  the  religious  needs  of  the  world  and 
make  the  spiritual  connection  with  the  source  of  spiritual  il 
lumination  they  will  become  foremost  in  the  new  constructive 
order  of  peace  and  unity  of  nations.   The  benefit  for  France 
which  one  can  see  coming  out  of  this  war  will  be  the  blow  to 
materialism  which  suffering  always  brings,  for  deep  grief  and 
trouble  cause  people  to  turn  to  the  higher  ideals  and  purposes. 

It  is  currently  reported  abroad  that  during  these  months  of 
war  and  perplexity  there  has  been  a  turning  of  the  French  people 
toward  religion  and  spiritual  ideals.   The  entire  world  needs 
this  reverse  of  vision  from  the  outer  to  the  inner,  from  the  un 
real  to  the  real. 

After  almost  three  months  in  Paris  we  felt  the  call  to  push 
on  to  our  next  field  of  work,  which  was  in  London. 

LONDON 

For  some  years  there  has  been  a  center  of  Bahai  Teaching  in 
London.   Abdul  Baha's  two  visits  there  had  a  very  telling  effect 
upon  the  growth  of  the  Cause,  not  only  among  those  who  are 
working  and  serving  directly  in  the  propaganda,  but  in  the  broad 
thinking  British  world  so  keen  to  all  of  those  questions  which 
deal  with  racial  and  religious  matters,  playing  so  important  a 
role  in  the  administration  of  affairs  where  the  Occident  and  the 
Orient  meet,  as  they  do  in  many  of  Great  Britain's  colonies  and 
possessions. 

27 


CLUMP  OF  CYPRESS  TREES  NEAR  THE  TOMB  OF 
BAB  WITHIN  THE  SHADE  OF  WHICH 
THE  3AHA  *  0 ' LLAH  USED  TO  SIT 


HADJI  NIAZ  KERMANI 
TAPIEN  NEAR  THE  GREAT  PYRAMID 


28 


In  the  Summer  of  1911,  just  prior  to  the  first  visit  of 
Abdul  Baha  to  London,  there  was  held  there  the  First  Universal 
Races  Congress.   Delegates  and  representatives  of  nations, 
races,  and  religions  assembled  ir.  London  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  in  order  to  discuss  these  many  interracial  problems 
which,  through  the  breaking  down  of  the  former  natural  geogra 
phic  and  political  barriers  by  travel,  commerce,  and  rapid 
intercommunication,  are  in  this  age,  for  the  first  time  in  his 
tory,  presenting  themselves  for  solution. 

t 

Although  this  Races  Congress  did  not  make  a  great  stir  in 
the  world,  it  nevertheless  marked  a  stage  in  the  beginning  of  a 
new  era  in  the  consideration  of  world  unity  by  the  thinking  peo 
ple,  for  it  was  the  first  time  that  such  a  body  of  people  had 
come  together  in  recognition  of  the  need  of  a  better  understand 
ing  and  co-operative  spirit  of  interdependence  between  the 
races  of  mankind. 

To  this  Congress  came  many  Bahais  from  various  lands:  Prom 
India,  Persia,  and  Egypt  on  the  East,  to  Europe  and  America  on 
the  West. 

The  people  were  seeking  that  brotherhood  sympathy  and  under 
standing  which  exists  so  strongly  between  the  Bahais  of  differ 
ent  nations,  races,  and  religions;  so  our  friends  present  found 
many  and  ample  opportunities  for  voicing  The  Bahai  Message  and 
attracting  the  people  towards  the  principles  of  the  Cause. 

Through  this  service  The  Bahai  Movement  was  brought  to  the 
notice  of  many  thinking  people  of  universal  and  world-wide  sym 
pathies,  so  that  when  Abdul  Baha  arrived  in  London  a  few  weeks 
later  quite  a  group  of  attracted  and  interested  souls  eagerly 
awaited  his  coming. 

It  was  in  the  City  Temple  in  London  that  Abdul  Baha  made  his 
first  large  public  address  at  the  invitation  of  the  pastor,  the 
Rev.  R.  J.  Campbell.   Before  an  audience  of  over  two  thousand 
souls  he  explained  the  principles  of  the  great  universal  re 
ligion  of  God  and  called  the  attention  of  the  people  to  the  com 
ing  of  world  peace  through  the  new  spirit  of  this  enlightened 
age,  which  is  that  of  spiritual  or  religious  unity,  through 
which  brotherhood  and  peace  will  result. 

The  Archdeacon  of  Westminster,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wilberforce, 
also  presented  Abdul  Baha,  at  a  Sunday  service,  to  his  congrega 
tion  in  his  church  where,  before  a  large  and  responsive  audi 
ence,  Abdul  Eaha  dwelt  upon  the  necessity  for  the  Divine  Mani 
festations  or  Prophets  of  God  as  the  teachers  of  men,  explaining 

29 


how  man  cannot  attain  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Infinite  God  save 
through  His  Manifestations,  (Hi;3  Prophets  and  Messiahs),  and 
demonstrating  that  the  Knowledge  of  God  and  His  Light  have  been 
reflected  to  the  people  through  these  Holy  Manifestations,  which 
have  ever  been  the  source  of  the  spiritual  upliftment  of  men. 
At  the  close  of  the  service  the  archdeacon  and  the  congregation 
knelt  while  Abdul  Baha  invoked  a  gpiritual  blessing  upon  all. 

In  a  message  to  the  editor  of  THE  CHRISTIAN  COMMONWEALTH  of 
London  Abdul  Baha  dwelt  again  upon  the  oneness  of  the  Divine 
Manifestations  and  prophets  as  follows: 

''God  sends  prophets  for  the  education  of  the  people  and  for 
the  spiritual  progress  of  mankind.   They  serve  the  whole  world 
by  the 'bounty  of  God.   The  sure  proof  that  they  are  the  Manifes 
tations  of  God  is  in  the  education  and  progress  of  the  people. 
The  Jews  were  in  the  lowest  condition  of  ignorance,  and  captives 
under  Pharoah,  when  Moses  appeared  and  raised  them  to  a  high 
state  of  civilization.   Thus  was  the  reign  of  Solomon  brought 
about  and  science  and  art  were  made  known  to  mankind.   Even 
Greek  philosophers  became  students  of  Solomon's  teaching.   Thus 
was  Moses  proved  to  be  a  prophet. 

After  the  lapse  of  time  the  Israelites  deteriorated,  and  be 
came  subject  to  the  Romans  and  the  Greeks.   Then  the  brilliant 
Star  of  Jesus  rose  from  the  horizon  upon  the  Israelites,  bright 
ening  the  world,  until  all  sects  anfl  creeds  and  nations  were 
taught  the  beauty  of  unity.   There  cannot  be  any  better  proof 
than  this  that  Jesus  was  the  Word  of  God. 

So  it  was  with  the  Arabian  nations  who,  being  uncivilized, 
were  oppressed  by  the  Persian  and  Greek  governments.   When  the 
Light  of  Mohammed  shone  forth  all  Arabia  was  brightened.   These 
oppressed  and  degraded  people  became  enlightened  and  cultured; 
so  much  so,  indeed,  that  other  nations  imbibed  Arabian  civiliza 
tion  from  Arabia.   This  was  the  proof  of  Mohammed's  divine 
mission. 

All  the  teaching  of  the  prophets  is  one;  one  faith;  one 
Divine  Light  shining  throughout  the  world.   Now,  under  the  ban 
ner  of  the  oneness  of  humanity,  all  people  of  all  creeds  should 
turn  away  from  prejudice  and  become  friends  and  believers  in  all 
the  prophets.   As  Christians  believe  in  Moses,  so  the  Jews 
should  believe  in  Jesus.   As  the  Mohammedans  believe  in  Christ 
and  in  Moses,  so  likewise  the  JejtfS  and  the  Christians  should 
believe  in  Mohammed.   Then  all  disputes  would  disappear,  all 
then  would  be  united.   Baha'o'llah  cajne  for  this  purpose.   He 

30 


has  made  the  three  religions  one.   He  has  uplifted  the  standard 
of  the  oneness  of  faith  and  the  honor  of  humanity  in  the  center 
of  the  world.   Today  we  must  gather  round  it,  and  try  with  heart 
and  soul  to  bring  about  the  union  of  mankind.'' 


Abdul  Baha's  field  of  work  in  London  was  widespread  and 
reached  people  of  all  phases  of  life  from  the  leaders  of  progres 
sive  thought  and  the  people  of  culture  to  the  very  poor  and 
those  of  the  humbler  walks  of  life.   Everywhere  he  was  received 
he  gave  to  the  people  of  the  spirit  and  the  joy  of  Baha'o'llah's 
Cause,  leaving  behind  him  traces  of  the  uplifting  power  of  the 
spirit  and  the  living  assurance  that  a  new  era  had  dawned  on 
earth  and  that  through  international,  interracial  and  inter - 
religious  harmony  better  human  conditions  will  follow  and  become 
manifest. 


My  companion  in  work  and  I  passed  a  most  eventful  four  weeks 
in  London.   There  were  meetings  practically  every  day  in  the 
v*eek  in  various  parts  of  the  city,  and  it  was  most  encouraging 
and  hopeful  to  mingle  with  the  people  and  to  see  and  to  feel 
their  devotion  to  the  cause  of  humanity.   We  were  quite  touched 
by  the  kindness  and  the  hospitality  of  the  friends. 

I  will  describe  one  meeting,  never  to  be  forgotten.  .It  was 
a  so-called  feast,  an  institution  which  has  been  enjoined  by 
each  of  the  three  great  Bahai  teachers  nf  this  day,  a  coming  to 
gether  of  people  in  order  to  partake  of  both  material  and  spir 
itual  food  in  the  form  of  refreshments  and  food,  together  with 
reading,  speaking,  and  conversation  about  the  Divine  Cause  and 
its  realities. 

This  particular  feast  to  which  I  refer  was  held  in  the 
King's  Weigh  House,  where  the  regular  weekly  Bahai  meetings  had 
for  some  time  been  held.   It  was  quite  typical  of  the  work  of 
our  friends  in  London. 

Over  one  hundred  persons  assembled,  people  of  different  na 
tionalities,  races,  and  religions,  and  representing  many  varied 
movements  and  interests.  There  were  Moslems  and  Hindus  from  the 
East,  and  Jews  and  Orthodox  Christians,  Theosophists,  New 
Thought  people,  and  others  of  the  new  modern  movements  from  the 
West,  each  attracted  to  the  Bahai  light  and  enthusiastic  over 
its  broad  principles. 

Besides  public  meetings,  many  gatherings  were  held  in  pri 
vate  homes.   The  homes  of  Mrs.  Thronburgh  Cropper,  Miss  Rosen- 

31 


berg,  Miss  Gamble,  Mrs.  George,  Miss  Herrick,  and  others  asso 
ciated  with  the  work  and  known  among  our  friends  far  and  wide, 
were  opened  for  the  work  of  the  Cause,  and  we  were  much  strength 
ened  through  contact  with  the  service  of  these  friends. 


While  we  were  in  London,  some  people  in  the  guise  of  Bahais 
came  there  in  order  to  mingle  with  the  friends  for  the  further 
ance  of  some  personal  aims  and  ambitions  of  their  own,  which 
were  quite  foreign  to  the  object  and  spirit  of  the  Cause;  never 
theless,  they  came  as  friends,  disguising  their  intentions  under 
the  name  of  spirituality.   Abdul  Baha,  who  is  ever  the  watchful 
shepherd  of  those  working  within  the  fold  of  God,  knew  of  the 
intention  of  these  people,  and  warned  his  friends  in  London  that 
they  might  net  be  imposed  upon  nor  have  any  harm  come  into  their 
midst. 

The  affair  was  like  a  storm  of  wind  and  rain  shaking  a  tree, 
but  when  passed  the  tree  was  fresher  and  greener  than  before. 
So  it  was  with  Abdul  Baha's  true  friends  in  London.   After  this 
matter  had  become  tranquillized  the  firmness  and  faith  of  the 
friends  in  the  Cause  was  greatly  emphasized,  and  there  was  an 
added  fervor  and  fragrance  manifest  in  their  gatherings. 

The  spiritual  imprint  of  the  last  meetings  held  in  London 
will  always  be  with  me,  for  each  time  that  I  recall  those  gath 
erings  my  heert  responds  to  the  spirit  manifested  there. 


While  in  England,  my  friend  and  I  made  a  quick  trip  to  Man 
chester  and  Liverpool  in  order  to  visit  the  centers  there. 

During  Abdul  Baha's  second  visit  in  England,  he  spent  a  day 
or  two  in  Liverpool  meeting  and  teaching  people  interested  in  the 
Cause,  thus  giving  an  impetus  to  the  work  which  is  now  very  man 
ifest  in  the  activity  of  the  friends  there.   In  a  suburb  of  the 
city  we  attended  a  very  memorable  meeting  in  the  home  of  a  lady 
who  had  enlarged  her  household  that  she  might  assume  the  respon 
sibility  of  Lome  twenty  homeless  children  whom  she  and  her  fam 
ily,  with  some  outside  assistance,  were  caring  for  and  develop 
ing  and  educating  in  the  spirit  of  the  Bahai  Cause . 

At  this  meeting  there  were  gathered  a  goodly  number  of  at 
tracted  souls  who  recognized  that  the  Divine  Light  in  the  teach 
ings  of  Baha'o'llah  was  the  same  as  that  in  Christianity,  and 
these  responded  with  much  heexrt  to  the  message  given. 

32 


Abdul  Baha  has  often  said  th£t  the  people  must  teach  the 
Cause  of  God  by  their  good  actiois  and  deeds.   This  principle  we 
saw  exemplified  in  the  philanthropic  work  of  this  Bahai  family 
in  Liverpool.   The  several  hour's  which  we  'spent  with  the  chil 
dren  for  whom  they  were  caring  was  to  us  a  demonstration  of 
their  spirit  and  service  to  humanity.   These  little  ones  they 
had  taken  from  the  slums,  where  degradation  was  the  lowest,  and 
through  bringing  them  into  the  kind  and  loving  atmosphere  of  an 
ordered  home  the  children  were  unfolding  and  blossoming  as  young 
plants  in  a  well  cultivated  garden.   The  spontaneity  and  natur 
alness  of  the  little  ones,  and  the  gentle  yet  direct  and  fear 
less  way  in  which  they  approached  us  and  climbed  up  for  the  an 
ticipated  caress  bespoke  the  love  and  affection  which  they  re 
ceived,  an  element  in  the  growth  and  development  of  a  child, 
quite  as  necessary  for  its  moral  and  spiritual  development  as 
wholesome  food  for  its  physical  welfare.   Any  one  who  has  visited 
an  orphan  asylum  where  a  large  number  of  children  are  cared 
for  by  attendants  will  always  recall  the  little  pathetic  faces, 
timid  and  hungering  for  that  personal  touch  cf  affection  which  a 
large  institution  cannot  provide,  but  which  a  home  can  give. 
This  element  of  personal  care  and  affection,  which  cannot  exist 
where  numbers  are  crowded  together,  we  found  in  all  of  its  full 
ness  in  the  lives  of  the  children  for  whom  our  friends  were  car 
ing,  and  this  spoke  louder  than  words  for  the  truly  Christian 
spirit  of  their  labors  and  service  to  humanity. 

Having  had  some  little  experience  myself  in  teaching,  I 
appreciated  the  joy  which  these  little  ones  put  into  their  exer 
cises.   Their  freedom  from  constraint,  yet  natural  restraint, 
and  their  alertness  and  life  spoke  for  the  positive  system  under 
which  they  were  being  trained.   It  was  clear  to  see  that  their 
efforts  were  always  appreciated.   How  powerful  a  force  is  appre 
ciation  when  rightly  applied!   Children  respond  to  it  quicker 
than  to  anything  else,  while  its  anticipation  spurs  them  on  to 
doing  their  best.   And  we  grown-ups  are  as  children  in  this  re 
spect,  though,  perhaps,  we  may  not  be  frank  enough  to  acknowl 
edge  it,  for  many  through  conventional  thinking  might  consider 
love  of  appreciation  to  be  a  weakness.   Nevertheless,  we  all  at 
heart  crave  it,  and  when  our  virtues  are  appreciated  by  others 
the  result  is  always  good. 

Abdul  Baha' s  teaching  is  positive.  He  seldom  says  ''Don't.'' 
His  advice  is  practically  always  ''Do.'' 

By  dwelling  upon  a  person's  virtues  that  side  of  the  indi 
vidual  unfolds  and  develops,  and  his  faults  diminish. 

A  pilgrim  once  asked  our  teacher  how  to  combat  evil.   His 
reply  was  to  the  effect  that  if  we  filled  our  souls  with  the 

33 


light  and  the  love  of  God  the  evil  in  us,  which  is  but  the  ab 
sence  of  good,  would  disappear  as  darkness  does  in  the  presence 
of  light.   This  principle  of  teaching  can  be  applied  to  material 
education  as  well  as  to  religious  and  ethical  training.   It  is 
a  great  phychological  truth  or  law  which  is  just  beginning  to  be 
understood.   Yet,  as  we  look  back  over  the  methods  of  the  great 
teachers  of  the  past,  those  who  have  moved  the  world,  it  is 
clear  to  see  that  they  understood  and  knew  the  value  of  seeing 
and  recognizing  virtue  and  not  being  blinded  to  the  possibili 
ties  of  the  people  by  their  untrained  condition  and  ignorance. 

In  the  Bahai  precepts  the  necessity  for  the  education  and 
careful  training  of  children  is  repeatedly  mentioned,  and  people 
are  exhorted  to  give  especial  attention  to  this  matter.   It  is 
not  only  the  duty  of  parents  to  educate  and  train  their  own 
children,  but  it  is  the  privilege  and  duty  of  all  who  have  the 
means  to  care  for  the  fatherless  and  the  orphans.   To  undertake 
this  work  is  a  necessity,  not  only  for  those  individuals  of  the 
coming  generation,  but  also  for  the  general  welfare  of  the  com 
munity  and  the  world  at  large. 

•    One  most  necessary  element  is  the  eradication  of  poverty  and 
crime.   Abdul  Baha  teaches  that  through  education  and  training 
this  will  be  accomplished.   If  a  garden  is  not  cultivated,  it 
will  soon  run  to  weeds,  and  so  it  is  with  a  community.   If  the 
children  are  not  trained  and  developed  in  both  material  and 
moral  and  spiritual  matters,  ruin  awaits  them  as  individuals, 
and  collectively  they  form  a  class  which  is  destructive  to  the 
general  weal  of  the  State  and  humanity. 

Baha'o'llah  has  written  that  whosoever  cares  for  and  edu 
cates  the  child  of  another  it  is  as  if  that  person  had  fathered 
and  cared  for  a  child  of  God. 

The  whole  spirit  of  the  Bahai  teaching  is  that  of  eradicat 
ing  the  causes  of  trouble  in  the  world,  and  thus  producing 
millennial  conditions  of  oneness  and  virtue.   Prevention  rather 
than  punishment  will  diminish  the  ever -increasing  crime  in  the 
world.  Humanity  must  be  protected  from  the  vicious,  but  were 
this  ever- increasing,  degenerate  class  trained  and  educated  from 
the  environment  and  tendencies  which  have  kept  them  down  in  the 
scale  of  morality  the  criminal  class  would  practically  cease  to 
exist,  as  we  know  it,  and  one  great  Bahai  ideal  would  have  be 
come  realized  in  the  world. 

Some  months  later,  when  we  visited  Abdul  Baha,  he  one  day 
spoke  upon  the  education  of  children  as  follows : 

34 


'•The  children  must  receive  divine  and  material  education  at 
the  same  time,  and  be  protected  from  temptations  and  vices.   How 
wonderful  would  it  be  if  the  teachers  were  faithful,  attracted, 
assured,  educated,  and  refined  Bahais,  well  grounded  in  the 
science  of  pedagogy  and  familiar  with  child  psychology;  thus 
they  could  train  the  children  with  the  Fragrances  of  God.  In  the 
scheme  of  human  life  the  teacher  and  his  system  of  teaching 
plays  the  most  important  role,  carrying  with  it  the  heaviest 
responsibilities  and  most  subtle  influence.   A  teacher  is  like 
unto  a  gardener.   Just  as-  a  gardener  sows  the  seeds  and  watches 
carefully  over  their  sprouting,  looks  after  their  growth  and 
progression,  so  also  a  teacher  most  watch  over  the  education  of 
the  children  and  inculcate  in  their  young  lives  the  highest 
ideals  of  truth  and  justice. '  ' 


In  Manchester  we  had  a  truly  spiritual  visit  with  Bahai 
friends,  the  joy  of  which  remained  long  with  us.   Seven  years 
prior  to  this  visit  it  had  been  my  privilege  to  spend  a  day  in  that 
city,  where  at  that  time  the  Bahai  work  was  in  its  infancy,  it 
being  carried  on  almost  altogether  through  the  devoted  services 
of  Miss  S.  A.  Ridgeway,  who  had  heard  the  Message  in  America,  and 
later  returned  to  her  native  country  to  serve  and  to  teach. 

Miss  Ridgeway  was  a  sincere  student  of  the  Divine  Word,  and 
her  faith  and  enthusiasm  were  firmly  founded.   She  served  un 
tiringly,  endeavoring  to  explain  to  the  people  that  the  reality 
of  religion  is  One  Reality,  that  this  reality  in  each  religion 
is  identical,  that  the  Bahai  religion  is  the  same  in  essence  as 
the  religions  of  the  past,  and  taat  it  comes  to  fulfill,  not  to 
destroy,  the  teachings  of  the  past.   Thus  those  whom  she  taught 
became  firm  in  the  spirit  of  the  Bahai  Cause,  and  they  under 
stood  the  Testament  of  Baha'o'llah,  for  they  looked  toward  Abdul 
Baha  and  were  guided  by  him. 

Only  a  few  months  prior  to  oar  visit  Miss  Ridgeway *s  work  in 
Manchester  being  ended  she  was  called  to  the  Threshold  of  the 
Supreme  Kingdom.   Late  one  after  10011,  in  company  with  several 
friends,  we  visited  her  grave,  situated  in  a  quiet  corner  of  a 
cemetery  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city.   There  we.  read  the  prayer 
for  those  departed  this  life,  as  well  as  the  prayers  for  those 
in  this  mortal  life,  and  we  felt  the  truth  of  the  teaching  which 
assures  us  that  the  separation  of  the  grave  is  but  physical,  for 
in  spirit  those  who  are  alive  in  the  Lord  are  ever  united  in  His 
Kingdom,  be  they  in  this  world  or  in  the  realms  of  the  spirit 
beyond . 

35 


TOMB  OF  THE  BAB  ON  MOUNT  CARMEI 


NORTH  FRONT  OF  THE  TOMB  OF  THE  BAB 


36 


As  we  stood  about  the  simple  tombstone  which  marked  the 
resting  place  of  a  noble  soul,  my  thoughts  dwelt  upon  the  great 
and  living  monument  which  this  maidservant  of  God  had  left  be 
hind  her,  a  work  which  will  grow  and  develop  and  ever  be  a 
bright  light  in  the  world. 

In  this  little  group  of  Manchester  people,  all  of  whom  were 
of  the  so-called  humbler  walks  of  life,  being  working  people, 
(their  teacher,  Miss  Ridgeway,  had  been  a  weaver  of  silk  in  one 
of  the  large  manufactories  of  Manchester)  we  found  that  affec 
tion,  ardor,  arid  enkindlement  of  spirit  which  always  character 
izes  those  meetings  in  which  souls  are  firm  in  the  Divine  Cove 
nant  and  Testament. 

During  our  two  days  and  two  nights  in  Manchester,  we  were 
entertained  in  the  little  home  of  one  of  these  good  brothers, 
and  to  the  hospitality  and  spirit  of  his  family  our  souls  re 
sponded  to  a  degree  which  has  left  a  spiritual  impression  never 
to  be  forgotten. 

•  ••        .  .  .        ••• 

HOLLAND 

It  was  shortly  after  the  middle  of  July  when  Mr.  Latimer  and 
I  left  England  for  Holland.   Prior  to  our  going  we  had  been  in 
correspondence  with  several  persons  there  who  were  much  attracted 
to  the  Movement,  all  of  which  we  mentioned  in  letters  to  Abdul 
Baha,  who  in  reply  instructed  us  to  visit  the  Netherlands. 

Our  first  stop  was  at  The  Hague,  where  we  presented  several 
letters  of  introduction  to  people  who  were  attracted  to  the 
spirit  of  the  work,  and  who  were  willing  to  lend  a  helping  hand 
to  forward  the  propaganda  of  Bahai  ideals.   One  gentleman,  in 
particular,  was  very  much  interested  in  the  religious  unity 
aspect  of  the  teaching.   He  had  for  some  years  been  the  official 
resident  in  one  of  the  Dutch  East  Indies  Colonies,  where  he  had 
studied  the  question  of  racial  and  religious  prejudice,  and  the 
accompanying  hatred  and  de struct iveness  resulting  from  the  con 
dition.   He  was  deeply  interested  in  that  phase  of  the  Bahai 
work  which  is  uniting  in  thought,  in  feeling,  and  in  service  to 
humanity  the  Orient  and  the  Occident,  for  here  is  the  solution 
of  the  problem  of  bridging  the  great  chasm  which  separates  the 
oriental  and  the  occidental  peoples,  thus  making  the  whole  world 
the  one  home  of  the  one  great  human  family. 

This  purely  practical  aspect  of  the  Bahai  Ideal  very  deeply 
interested  this  diplomat,  who  had  for  some  time  been  observing 
the  progress  of  our  work.   This  great  racial  problem,  which  is 

37 


at  root  a  spiritual  one,  bears  its  fruits  in  very  material  ways 
in  the  physical  world.   The  Bahai  spirit,  the  Oneness  of  all,  is 
not  merely  a  beautiful  theory,  it  accomplishes  the  spiritual 
results  that  the  world  now  needs. 

All  of  the  Bahai s  are  deeply  interested  in  the  Tribunal  of 
World  Peace  established  at  The  Hague.  While  in  that  city,  my  co- 
worker  and  I  went  out  to  The  Peace  Palace,  where  the  sessions  of 
the  organization  are  held.   Situated  in  the  midst  of  a  park  of 
natural  charm  this  edifice-  is  as  beautiful  as  could  have  been 
created  by  man.   Architecturally  it  is  the  product  of  a  competi 
tion  of  the  world's  greatest  architects,  while  its  ideals  for 
the  elimination  of  war  through  international  arbitration  are 
supported  by  some  of  the  most  progressive  spirits  in  various 
countries,  for  the  real  progressives  are  those  whose  hopes  are 
fixed  upon  the  ideal  of  oneness  and  the  interdependence  of  na 
tions  and  peoples. 

This  international  institution  for  arbitration,  as  conceived 
by  the  world's  great  thinkers,  is  one  of  the  fruits  of  this  new 
spiritual  era  upon  which  the  world  is  now  entering.   It  is  com 
ing  as  the  result  of  an  unfoldmeirb  and  a  greater  activity  in  the 
higher  life  of  humanity.   At  this  moment  it  is  undoubtedly  the 
most  needed  of  all  institutions. 

.Although  the  present  phase  of  the  Bahai  work  now  being  done 
in  the  world  is  purely  a  religious  one,  nevertheless,  this  purely 
religious  work  is  having  a  great  influence  in  the  lives  and 
characters  of  people  the  world  over,  and  is  preparing  them  to 
bring  forth  as  the  fruits  of  their  lives  all  of  these  universal 
institutions  which  the  world  now  most  needs,  chief est  among 
which  is  universal  peace. 

At  present  the  Bahais  of  the  world  are  preparing  to  build  a 
temple  which  shall  stand  for  the  spiritual  peace  and  oneness  of 
all  nations,  races,  and  religions.  It  is  to  be  called  the  Mash- 
rak-El-Azkar,  Persian  words  which  mean  ''The  Dawning  Place  of 
the  Mentionings  of  God.'' 

In  our  city  of  Chicago  a  beautiful  building  site  of  about 
nine  acres,  bordering  on  Lake  Michigan,  has  been  purchased,  and 
it  is  hoped  that  soon  the  actual  building  of  the  edifice  will  be 
begun. 

The  Mashrak-El-Azkar  when  completed  will  consist  of  a  series 
or  group  of  buildings.   In  the  center  will  be  the  Mashrak-El- 
Azkar  or  temple  proper,  a  building  surmounted  by  a  dome,  which 
will  be  a  place  for  worship  in  the  most  spiritual  sense,  a  tem- 

38 


pie  open  to  all  peoples  of  all  creeds,  races,  and  classes,  not  a 
place  for  ceremonies  or  ritualism,  but  a  sanctuary  for  reading, 
meditation,  and  prayer,  into  which  people  may  retreat  in  order 
to  come  within  their  own  souls  near  to  God. 

Around  about  the  Mashrak-El-Azkar  will  be  built  various  in 
stitutions  for  practical  service  to  humanity:  Schools,  colleges, 
hospitals,  asylums,  and  hospices,  all  of  which  form  necessary 
adjuncts  of  the  Temple  of  God,  for  the  Bahai  ideal  is  that  faith 
and  good  works  combined  is  the  real  worship  of  God,  and  this 
principle  of  worship  and  service  supplementing  one  another  is 
thus  accentuated  in  their  temple  of  worship. 

Some  years  ago  a  Mashrak-El-Azkar  was  built  by  the  Bahais  of 
the  Orient.   It  is  situated  in  the  city  of  Eshkhabad,  in  Russian 
Turkistan,  and  was  erected  there  by  the  Bahais  in  the  oriental 
countries . 

This  Mashrak-El-Azkar,  now  to  be  built  in  the  city  of  Chi 
cago,  is  the  first  to  be  erected  in  the  western  world.   It,  how 
ever,  does  not  represent  the  efforts  of  the  West  alone,  for 
toward  it  the  Orient  has  contributed  as  much  as  the  Occident. 
In  fact,  offerings  in  varying  amounts  are  constantly  flowing 
toward  this  work  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  from  people  of 
all  nations,  races,  and  religions,  whose  hearts  are  united  in 
this  Cause.   Thus,  when  built,  the  Mashrak-El-Azkar  will  stand 
as  a  great  living  monument,  a  standard  and  an  ensign  in  the 
world,  of  the  Divine  Oneness  of  all  religions,  and  the  union  of 
all  people  through  the  teaching  of  Baha'o'llah,  and  their  united 
efforts  in  practical  service  to  humanity. 


After  The  Hague  we  spent  a  few  days  in  Amsterdam  and  in 
Blaricum  in  North  Holland.   In  these  places  we  met  with  quite  a 
few  people  who  had  been  associated  with  the  Theosophical  Move 
ment.   They  were  very  much  alive  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  this 
day,  and  realized  that  the  time  was  at  hand  for  a  religious  re 
form  in  the  world,  a  coming  together  of  all  religions  in  the 
spirit  of  unity. 

One  of  these  Dutch  friends  assured  me  that  he  knew  the  time 
was  ripe  for  the  coming  of  a  world  teacher  who  would  accomplish 
the  unity  and  interdependence  spiritually  and  materially  of 
all  the  world,  and  that  he  for  one  was  looking  for  this  great 
Master.   He  was  deeply  interested  in  reading  the  words  of  Abdul 
Baha  upon  this  subject  delivered  before  a  gathering  of  Theoso- 

39 


phists  in  Budapest,  in  reply  to  questions  as  to  how  the  people 
might  know  and  recognize  this  great  world  master  or  teacher  when 
He  should  appear.   Here  is  the  synopsis  of  Abdul  Baha's  reply: 

EXCERPTS  PROM  AN  ADDRESS  BY  ABDUL  BAHA. 
Budapest,  1913. 

Nine  proofs  upon  which  the  coming  of  the  great  Master  is 
based: 

1.  That  great  master  will  be  the  educator  of  the  world  of 
humanity. 

2.  His  teachings  must  be  universal  and  confer  illumination 
upon  mankind. 

3.  His  knowledge  must  be  innate  and  spontaneous,  and  not 
acquired. 

4.  He  must  answer  the  questions  of  all  the  sages,  solve  all 
the  difficult  problems  of  humanity,  and  be  able  to  withstand  all 
the  persecutions  and  sufferings  heaped  upon  him. 

5.  He  must  be  a  joy-bringer,  and  the  herald  of  the  kingdom 
of  happiness. 

6.  His  knowledge  must  be  infinite  and  his  wisdom  all -compre 
hensive  . 

7.  The  penetration  of  his  word  and  the  potency  of  his  influ 
ence  must  be  so  great  as  to  humble  even  his  worst  enemies. 

8.  Sorrows  and  tribulations  must  not  vex  him.   His  courage 
and  conviction  must  be  God-like.  Day  unto  day  he  must  become 
firmer  and  more  zealous. 

9.  He  must  be  the  establisher  of  universal  civilization,  the 
unifier  of  religions,  the  standard-bearer  of  universal  peace, 
and  the  embodiment  of  all  the  highest  and  noblest  virtues  of  the 
world  of  humanity. 

• 'Whenever  you  find  these  conditions  realized  in  a  human 
temple,  turn  to  him  for  guidance  and  illumination.'' 


Our  friend  was  delighted  when  the  above  was  read  to  him,  and 
he  immediately  said:  *'I  can  see  that  Baha'o'llah  was  indeed  the 

40 


world  teacher,  for  He  accomplished  all  these  things,  and  now  I 
long  to  meet  Abdul  Baha,  that  I  may  know  more  of  the  teaching.'' 

The  attitude  of  this  friend  was  typical  of  that  of  the  peo 
ple  in  general  whom  we  met  in  the  Netherlands.   There  is  a  large 
and  a  prepared  field  of  work  among  those  people,  ready  and 
awaiting  the  Bahai  teacher  who  can  go  there  for  a  sojourn  of 
sufficient  length  of  time  to  gather  together  a  group  and  form  a 
center  of  teaching.   These  truth-seekers  are  thinking  people 
who,  when  confirmed,  will  go  forth  as  workers  in  the  Cause.   We 
would  gladly  have  remained  there  to  have  undertaken  this  service 
to  the  best  of  our  ability,  but  the  work  in  Germany  was  calling, 
so  after  a  visit  of  a  few  days  we  continued  on  our  way,  leaving 
this  fertile  vineyard  to  others  better  fitted  than  we,  who  will 
arise  to  accomplish  this  service. 

The  first  Bahai  teacher  to  visit  the  Netherlands  was  Mr. 
Daniel  Jenkyn,  of  St.Ives,  Cornwall,  England,  a  young  man  of 
rare  and  exceeding  faith  and  purity  of  purpose,  whose  friends  in 
many  countries  are  mourning  his  recent  departure  from  among  us 
here  in  this  material  world.   Though  this  young  man  remained  only 
for  a  short  vacation  in  the  Low  Countries,  he  met  a  few  people, 
and  these  were  deeply  attracted  and  awakened  by  him.   In  speak 
ing  of  his  friendship  with  a  certain  man  in  Blaricum,  our  host 
there  remarked  that  it  was  a  mystery  to  him  how  this  man  and 
Jenkyn  managed  to  converse  and  communicate,  for  neither  under 
stood  but  a  few  words  of  the  language  of  the  other. 

My  experience,  however,  in  travelling  among  the  Bahais  in 
various  countries  has  always  been  that  a  very  limited  vocabulary 
is  quite  sufficient  between  persons  who  are  united  by  the  Bahai 
fraternal  tie. 

In  writing  to  America  of  Daniel  Jenkyn  the  Secretary  of  the 
Bahai  Assembly  in  London  said:  ' 'He  was  a  most  spiritually- 
minded  young  man,  a  very  sincere  and  ardent  Bahai,  and  a  most 
hard  worker  in  the  blessed  Cause.   Not  long  since  he  visited 
Holland  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  some  of  those  attracted  to 
the  Movement  and  confirming  their  faith.   He  joined  the  Chris 
tian  Commonwealth  Fellowship,  and  found  that  this  association 
brought  him  into  contact  with  numbers  of  earnest  seekers  for  the 
truth  and  reality  of  the  Bahai  Teachings.   He  undertook  a  va'jt 
correspondence  in  connection  with  the  faith,  and  by  this  means 
did  a  great  amount  of  teaching. ' 

I  well  remember  the  one  time  that  I  met  Daniel  Jenkyn.  It 
was  in  Lady  Blomfield's  drawing-room  during  Abdul  Baha's  first 
visit  in  London.  Some  twenty-five  or  more  persons  were  gathered 

4) 


to  meet  Abdul  Baha,  including  several  men  and  women  of  worldly 
distinction,  while  in  an  inconspicuous  place  by  the  door  sat 
Daniel  Jenkyn,  drinking  in  all  Abdul  Baha  said.   He  was  a  clerk 
in  a  shipping  house  in  a  small  town  down  on  the  Cornish  coast,  and 
being  unable  to  obtain  a  holiday  in  order  to  attain  his  heart's 
desire  and  spend  several  days  near  Abdul  Baha,  he  had  left  home 
by  a  Saturday  night  train,  travelling  all  night  in  an  uncomfort 
able  third-class  compartment  to  have  a  few  hours  in  London  with 
Abdul  Baha  en  Sunday,  then  returning  home  by  night  in  order  to 
resume  work  on  Monday  morning. 

Through  our  correspondence  which  followed  this  meeting  I 
soon  learned  that  though  our  young  friend  had  been  of  the  hum 
blest  to  seek  Abdul  Baha's  presence,  nevertheless,  he  had  been 
among  those  most  blessed  and  illumined,  for  he  saw  with  the 
spiritual  eye  the  stations  of  Baha'o'llah  and  Abdul  Baha.   His 
life  was  firmly  founded  upon  the  Divine  Covenant,  and  through 
this  spiritual  power  he  accomplished  a  great  work,  some  of  the 
fruits  of  which  we  found  in  The  Netherlands. 


GERMANY 

Before  leaving  France  a  letter  from  Abdul  Baha  prepared  us 
for  blessings  which  were  in  store  for  us  in  Germany.   His  brief 
forecast  was  as  follows:  ''The  believers  in  Germany  are  very 
enkindled.   You  will  be  happy  there.'' 

The  terrible  calamity  of  war  fell  shortly  after  our  arrival 
in  Germanjr.   Nevertheless,  this  assurance  of  happiness  from 
Abdul  Baha  we  realized  in  the  fullest  measure,  although  it  came 
to  us  under  far  different  conditions  than  we  could  ever  have 
imagined. 

In  Germany  we  were  blessed  in  meeting  many  friends  whose 
whole  lives  and  souls  were  wrapped  up  in  and  devoted  to  the 
cause  of  brotherhood.   Never  in  Germany  had  there  been  manifest 
among  the  Bahai  friends  any  spirit  save  that  of  firmness  in  the 
Covenant  of  Baha'o'llah,  so  there  we  found  an  enkindlement,  an 
enthusiasm,  and  a  joy  in  those  meetings  which  is  the  very  life 
of  the  spirit  of  religion,  for  this  firmness  and  virility  of 
spirit  attracts  and  quickens  souls  and  is  the  very  life  of  the 
Kingdom. 

In  Berlin  we  remained  a  short  while,  but  on  account  of  its 
being  the  Summer  vacation  time  the  people  whom  we  had  most  hoped 


42 


to  meet  were  not  in  the  city;  therefore,  after  a  few  days  we 
went  on  to  Leipzig,  where  some  Bahai  friends  awaited  our  coming. 

Both  of  us  were  so  intent  upon  our  own  Bahai  affairs  that  v/e 
scarcely  heard  the  first  clamor  which  preceded  the  war.  Even  as 
late  as  Friday  morning,  July  31,  when  we  left  Berlin  for  Leipzig, 
we  had  thought  of  war  as  but  a  passing  possibility,  not  a  proba 
bility.  Although  for  a  long  time  anticipated,  when  it  did  finally 
come  it  came  suddenly. 

In  Leipzig  we  were  met  by  Miss  Alma  Knobloch,  formerly  of 
Washington,  D.C.,  who  for  seven  years  had  been  laboring  faith 
fully  in  Germany  for  the  spread  of  the  Cause.   We  were  very  glad 
to  find  ourselves  again  with  Bahp,i  friends.   A  few  days  spent  in 
Berlin  without  this  association  had  made  us  very  restless  and 
anxious  to  get  into  the  field  of  active  work;  therefore,  when  we 
reached  Leipzig,  where  meetings  had  been  arranged  for  us,  we 
were  very  contented  and  happy. 

f 

After  a  meeting  with  some  friends  the  night  of  the  day  of 
our  arrival  in  Leipzig,  as  we  passed  through  the  streets  return 
ing  to  our  hotel,  we  realized  for  the  first  time  that  war  was 
imminent.   Bulletins  at  the  corners  announced  the  latest  diplo 
matic  news  from  Berlin,  which  produced  the  greatest  excitement 
throughout  the  city. 

Though  our  work  was  one  of  constructive  peace,  and  we  car 
ried  within  the  assurance  of. the  meeting  we  had  just  left, 
nevertheless,  the  excited  and  turbulent  condition  of  the  popu 
lace  was  to  us  most  distressing.   All  through  the  night  we  could 
hear  the  cries  of  the  venders  of  bulletins.   The  people  were 
responding  to  that  psychological  wave  of  thought  or  panic  which 
precedes  war  and  which  has  ever  produced  the  momentum  accompany 
ing  the  opening  up  of  actual  hostilities. 

During  the  three  ensuing  days  which  we  spent  in  Leipzig, 
we  met  people  who  were  deeply  interested  in  our  work.   Several 
meetings  were  held,  one  of  which  was  generally  advertised  in  the 
papers,  and  the  response  was  indeed  good.   Nevertheless,  the  in 
tense  war  excitement  made  it  quite  impossible  to  do  much  general 
public  work,  for  the  call  to  arms  had  taken  practically  all  of 
the  men  identified  with  and  interested  in  the  Bahai  work,  while 
upon  the  women  of  the  country  had  been  thrust  the  heavy  burdens 
of  family  and  home. 

I  shall  never  forget  one  cf  our  sister  Bahai s  as  we  all  sat 
in  meeting.   Her  husband  had  just  joined  his  regiment,  leaving 
her  and  the  young  child  quite  alone.   She  was  struggling  bravely 

43 


BAHAI  STUDENTS  ON  MOUNT  CARMEL 


M1RZA  BADDI,  GEORGE  LATIMER,  AND  MIRZA  AHMED 


with  her  responsibilities  and  grief,  and  her  patience  and  resig 
nation,  together  with  her  faith  and  assurance  in  the  Holy  Cause, 
was  a  lesson  to  us. 


In  Leipzig  we  had  hoped  to  meet  friends  from  some  of  the 
neighboring  towns  and  cities,  bxit  because  of  the  military  opera 
tions  train  service  was  interrupted  and  there  was  no  way  for 
them  to  travel  to  us,  nor  for  us  to  reach  them.   Since  we  were 
therefore  so  handicapped,  and  because  Stuttgart  was  our  objec 
tive  point  in  Germany,  we  decided  to  push  on  as  soon  as  pos 
sible  . 

Shortly  before  noon  on  Monday,  August  2,  we  ascertained  that 
an  express  train  was  going  through  that  afternoon  to  Stuttgart, 
and  that  this  would  be  the  last  passenger  train  for  some  days, 
as  all  regular  traffic  was  being  suspended  during  the  mobiliza 
tion  of  the  army.   We  therefore  made  haste  to  take  this  last 
train. 

At  the  station  were  thousands  of  people  and  all  was  confu 
sion  and  excitement.   Regiments  of  men  armed  for  the  fray  were 
leaving,  and  families  and  friends  were  bidding  the  soldiers 
good-bye.   We  s^aw  many  touching  scenes,  mothers  bidding  good-bye 
to  their  sons,  and  fathers  to  their  families.   There  seemed  but 
little  hope  for  many  to  ever  be  united  again  in  this  world. 
Every  one  was  swayed  by  great  emotion,  and  the  many  sobs  of 
heart  anguish  were  drowned  by  martial  music  and  the  songs  of  the 
soldiers,  as  they  filed  through  the  greac  hall  of  the  station, 
singing  as  they  went  in  order  to  keep  up  their  spirits. 

As  our  train  pulled  out  from  the  city,  we  could  see  off  in 
the  distance  towering  above  the  houses  and  tree-tops  the  great 
war  monument  built  by  the  Germans  to  commemorate  Napoleon's  de 
feat  at  the  battle  of  Leipzig.   In  this  Cyclopean  pile  the  archi 
tect  has  depicted  war  in  all  its  horrors  and  devastation.   The 
character  is  so  well  interpreted  and  executed  that  when  one 
enters  into  the  gloomy  rotunda  of  this  monument,  and  his  eyes 
becoming  accustomed  to  the  obscurity  he  finds  himself  as  a  pigmy 
at  the  feet  of  the  four  great  colossal  stone  war  images 
therein,  a  feeling  of  terror  descends  upon  him  and  his  first  in 
stinct  is  to  rush  to  get  out  into  the  light.   Such  had  been  our 
experience  a  few  days  before,  when  we  had  visited  this  edifice. 

From  the  surrounding  terraces  the  eye  sees  nothing  but  beauty 
and  prosperity  everywhere  manifest.   Erected  to  perpetuate 
the  spirit  of  a  conflict  of  a  century  ago,  this  vast  war  shrine 
amid  its  surroundings  was  strikingly  symbolic  of  the  present 

45 


condition  of  the  people.   Like  a  great  grotesque  chimera  it 
loomed  above  and  dominated  the  happy  homes,  towns,  and  "beautiful 
country  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 


As  our  train  sped  southward,  v:e  were  impressed  with  the 
fruitfulness  and  productiveness  of  the  land.   The  season  was  a 
good  one  in  the  vegetable  world.   The  orchards  were  so  fruit - 
laden  that  most  of  the  trees  had  been  propped  up  to  keep  the 
limbs  from  breaking,  while  the  harvest  was  everywhere  abundant. 

Military  operations  were  in  evidence  upon  all  sides,  and  at 
the  stations  and  crossings  there  were  crowds  of  women  and  chil 
dren  and  old  men  intent  upon  the  passing  trains,  while  in  the 
half -mown,  over-ripe  fields  of  grain  we  saw  here  and  there  wagons 
and  other  wheeled  farm  implements,  from  which  the  horses  had 
been  requisitioned  for  the  army.   There  were  no  able-bodied  men 
at  work,  but  in  many  places  the  women  were  out  in  the  fields 
gathering  in  the  harvests,  drawing  the  heavily  laden  wagons. 

During  the  frenzy  of  excitement  which  accompanied  the  begin 
ning  of  the  war.  it  was  reported  that  many  spies  were  abroad, 
and  in  Leipzig  the  story  went  around  that  a  certain  enemy  had 
attempted  to  pollute  the  city  water  supply  with  cholera  germs, 
but  had  been  arrested  in  the  act.   All  of  these  ideas  had  so 
taken  hold  of  the  people  that  there  was  suspicion  of  all  for 
eigners. 

All  went  well  with  us  until  our  train  was  nearing  the  city 
of  Naumberg,  when  an  off  icer  passed  through  the  corridor,  evi 
dently  looking  for  some  one.   We  seemed  to  be  his  object,  for  he 
stopped  and  demanded  our  detention  at  the  next  stop.   We  were 
quite  unceremoniously  bundled  out  upon  the  platform,  and  our 
passports  taken  to  some  official  who  could  read  English,  but  just 
before  the  departure  of  the  train  our  papers  were  returned,  and 
we  were  allowed  to  continue  our  journey.   Subsequently,  we 
learned  from  Miss  Knobloch,  who  bade  adieu  to  us  at  the  station 
in  Leipzig,  that  she  had  been  questioned  by  a  police  officer  as 
to  our  nationality  and  destination,  so  without  doubt  the  officer 
who  took  us  into  custody  had  been  notified  by  wire  to  investi 
gate  us. 

The  train  was  crowded,  people  standing  in  the  corridors. 
Everyone  was  very  serious  but  pleasant  and  agreeable.  Several 
hands  were  kindly  thrust  through  the  windows  to  help  us  aboard 
with  our  luggage,  for  the  train  was  about  to  leave  when  we  were 
released  by  the  police,  and  we  had  no  time  to  lose. 

46 


At  Nuremberg  our  train  was  seized  for  military  purposes.  All 
passenger  trains  here  had  been  stopped,  and  the  passengers,  like 
ourselves,  hurried  out  upon  the  platforms.   Among  the  civilians 
pandemonium  reigned,  but  not  so  among  the  parting  troops  of  sol 
diers,  where  all  was  quiet  and  orderly. 

I  have  often  recalled  two  panic-stricken  Americans,  man  and 
wife,  whom  we  passed  at  this  point  of  confusion.   They  were  la 
den  with  luggage,  and  not  speaking  the  language,  had  boarded  the 
wrong  train.   They  told  us  they  were  trying  to  get  out  of  the 
country  by  way  of  Switzerland.   We  would  gladly  have  helped 
them,  but  before  we  could  reflect  we  were  separated  from  them. 

After  a  tedious  wait  we  continued  our  way.   Travelling  was 
by  cross  and  side  lines,  by  freight  and  omnibus  trains,  and  by 
making  frequent  changes  of  trains,  for  the  best  cars  and  the 
through  lines  were  commandeered  by  the  army.   Judging  from  the 
stars  above  we  must  have  made  a  very  roundabout  and  zig-zag 
route,  for  most  of  the  night  we  seemed  to  be  pointed  directly 
away  from  the  direction  we  wanted  to  go. 

Hungry,  dusty,  and  tired,  we  arrived  in  Stuttgart.   Crowds 
thronged  the  station.   It  had  been  impossible  to  get  telegrams 
through  to  our  friends,  so  they  did  not  know  of  our  arrival. 
Upon  leaving  the  station  we  were  again  put  under  arrest,  but 
upon  being  satisfied  by  our  passports  that  we  were  not  of  an  un 
friendly  people  the  police  allowed  us  to  pass  without  further 
trouble;  thus  we  found  ourselves  at  the  end  of  our  travels  for 
some  time,  for  we  remained  in  Stuttgart  for  more  than  six  weeks. 


It  was  over  nine  years  ago  that  the  Bahai  Teaching  was  first 
given  in  Stuttgart  through  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Edwin  Fisher,  an 
American  Bahai.   Souls  became  attracted,  and  later  Miss  Alma 
Knobloch  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  went  to  Stuttgart,  and  for  some 
years  remained  there,  devoting  her  time  to  the  giving  of  the 
glad  tidings  of  the  Cause.   Many  noble  souls  have  arisen,  and 
now  there  is  a  strong  and  an  active  Bahai  center  in  that  city, 
while  in  the  surrounding  towns  and  villages  regular  spiritual 
meetings  are  held. 

While  Abdul  Baha  was  on  his  second  tour  in  Europe,  he  made 
quite  a  visit  in  Stuttgart.   Large  gatherings  were  held  and  the 
friends  were  spiritually  confirmed,  for  in  him  they  realized  the 
Center  of  the  Covenant,  through  whose  life  of  service  to  human 
ity  the  Divine  Bounties  of  the  Kingdom  are  in  this  day  flowing  to 
mankind. 

47 


Among  these  German  Bahais  there  has  never .been  the  slightest 
sign  of  weakness  in  the  Cause  of  Baha' o 'Hah.   All  have  looked 
directly  to  Abdul  Baha,  and  their  faith  and  teaching  hat.  there 
fore  been  pure  and  luminous,  and  their  meetings  full  of  joy  and 
fragrance  of  spirit. 

In  reading  some  of  Abdul  Baha's  tablets  to  the  Stuttgart 
friends  one's  heart  is  rejoiced  by  the  clearness  of  his  verses, 
in  which  he  summons  all  to  the  Covenant  of  God,  the  directness 
of  His  text  indicating  the  purity  of  heart  and  the  clearness  of 
the  spiritual  vision  of  those  to  whom  he  wrote. 

In  a  letter  to  the  friends  in  Esslingen,  near  Stuttgart,  in 
the  early  summer  of  1913,  Abdul  Baha  wrote  of  two  Persian  Bahais 
whom  he  was  sending  there  to  work  in  the  Cause,  as  follows: 

''I  send  to  those  parts  his  honor  Miraa  Ali  Akbar,  and  his 
honor  Mirza  Lotfullah,  in  order  to  associate  with  the  friends 
and  convey  to  them  the  yearning  of  the  heart  of  Abdul  Baha,  and 
the  explanation  of  the  degrees  of  the  powers  of  the  Covenant, 
and  the  importance  of  the  Cent-r  of  the  Testament.   These  two 
persons  are  very  blessed,  assuredly  the  believers  shall  obtain 
joy  and  happiness  through  their  meeting. 

Know  ye  this:   That  today  the  greatest  of  all  affairs  is 
obedience  to  the  Center  of  God's  Covenant.   The  power  of  the 
Covenant  shall  stir  the  regions,  and  the  spirit  of  the  Covenant 
shall  resuscitate.'' 


In  a  subsequent  tablet  to  the  Stuttgart  friends  Abdul  Baha 
wrote : 

''The  spirit  of  this  age  is  the  Covenant  and  Testament  of 
God.   It  is  like  the  pulsating  artery  in  the  body  of  the  world. 
Speak  in  your  meetings  and  assemblies  about  the  Testament  and 
the  Covenant,  and  invite  every  one  to  the  firmness  and  the 
steadfastness  of  the  Covenant.   Consider  that  the  words  of  Mirza 
Ali  Akbar  were  so  effective  because  he  is  firm  in  the  Covenant.'* 


A  few  days  before  our  arrival  in  Stuttgart  the  friends  there 
had  the  blessing  of  welcoming  two  brother  Bahais  from  the  Orient, 
Dr.  Habibollah  Khodabash  of  Hamadan,  Persia,  and  Mirza  Azizollah 
Bahadur  of  Shiraz,  Persia. 

These  two  young  men  had  been  for  several  years  students  in 
the  American  University  in  Beirut,  Syria,  the  former  having 

48 


graduated  in  medicine  bxit  a  few  weeks  previous  to  his  coming  to 
Europe,  while  the  latter  had  one  more  year  before  graduation. 
Abdul  Baha  had  sent  these  friends  to  Europe  on  a  mission  of 
teaching.   Their  plan  had  been  to  spend  eight  days  in  Stuttgart 
and  then  to  go  to  London  to  engage  there  in  the  activities  of 
the  Cause.   They  had  no  sooner  reached  Stuttgart  than  the  war 
broke  out,  so  they  were  unable  to  go  to  England  as  planned. 


In  the  afternoon  of  the  day  that  we  reached  Stuttgart  we 
went  in  company  with  some  German  friends  to  the  hotel  where  our 
two  oriental  brothers  were  staying.   On  account  of  the  excited 
condition  of  the  populace  these  two  Persians  had  been  obliged  to 
remain  within  doors  unless  escorted  by  friends.   Both  were  de 
cidedly  foreign  looking  compared  with  the  Teuton  type  of  man, 
and  had  they  been  suspected  as  enemies  or  spies,  not  speaking 
German,  they  would  have  had  difficulty,  for  in  the  first  flush 
of  the  spirit  of  war  the  people  might  have  handled  them  quite 
roughly.   It  was  at  the  advice  of  some  of  the  Stuttgart  friends 
that  our  Persian  brothers  observed  this  caution  of  remaining  in 
doors. 

Our  meeting  was  a  joyful  one,  as  is  always  the  case  in  Bahai 
circles,  when  people  of  different  races,  nations,  and  religions 
find  themselves  united.   Miraa  Azizollah  had  come  into  the  Cause 
from  Islam,  while  Dr.  Habibollah  was  from  Judaism. 

During  their  stay  in  Germany,  the  faith  of  these  two  broth 
ers  was  a  demonstation  to  the  people  of  the  uniting  spirit  of 
Baha'o'llah,  for  through  His  teaching  one,  a  Jew,  and  the  other, 
a  Moslem,  were  united  with  Christians  and  were  accepting  Christ, 
and  in  all  of  the  meetings  testifying  to  the  divinity  of  Jesus, 
in  whom  they  now  believed  because  of  their  present  light. 


In  Stuttgart  we  found  Bahai  matters  very  much  alive,  despite 
the  upset  condition  of  the  country.   Regular  meetings  were  held 
almost  every  day  in  the  city  and  environs,  and  at  these  meetings 
we  were  continually  seeing  new  faces  and  meeting  people  who  were 
coming  for  the  first  time  to  hear  of  the  Cause. 

These  people  were  religiously  inclined  and  receptive.   In 
very  simple  and  direct  words  was  the  Great  Message .given  in  all 
the  meetings  and  all  were  invited  to  come  and  serve  under  the 
Covenant  of  God.   There  was  always  a  heart-felt  response.  Never 
did  we  meet  antagonism  or  skepticism.   The  people  listened 

49 


sympathetically  and  with  earnestness  and  reverence,  and  we  knew 
that  the  words  spoken  were  reaching  the  souls,  and  that  the  time 
would  come  when  this  spiritual  seed,  the  Word  of  God,  sown  in 
these  hearts  and  watered  with  kindness  and  love,  would  attain 
growth  and  bring  forth  good  results,  and  all  of  this  good  spir 
itual  work  was  being  done  amid  the  greatest  excitement  and  un 
rest,  for  out  in  the  streets  the  one  thought  was  the  war.  Crowds 
everywhere,  first  the  soldiers  marching  on  their  way  to  the 
front,  singing  martial  airs  of  war  as  they  went,  and  prisoners 
of  war  escorted  through  the  streets.   At  all  hours  the  passing 
of  ambulances  announced  the  arrival  of  trainloads  of  v/ounded  and 
dying  soldiers  from  the  battlefields;  then  from  time  to  time  we 
would  see  a  company  of  soldiers  slowly  following  a  draped  cais 
son,  bearing  one  of  their  comrades  to  his  grave. 

Often  in  the  meetings  the  friends  were  obliged  to  close  the 
windows  of  the  room  in  which  we  met  because  of  the  noise  of  mar 
tial  music  and  confusion  without,  but  this  was  but  a  material 
trouble.   The  real  virtue  lay  in  the  hearts  of  the  firm  friends. 
In  the  midst  of  war  they  were  in  Joy,  because  they  were  firm  in 
the  Cause  of  God.   They  were  reinforced  and  in  great  assurance 
and  confirmation  of  soul. 


I  will  attempt  to  describe  a  few  of  the  many  gatherings,  that 
the  reader  may  picture  for  himself  the  kind  spirit  of  the 
friends,  and  the  many  blessings  which  were  ours  through  meeting 
with  such  souls.   Even  in  times  of  general  welfare  and  peace 
such  kindness  as  they  manifested  would  have  been  an  inspiration. 
As  a  light  is  more  appreciated  in  the  night  than  in  the  day,  so 
their  calmness  of  soul,  and  love  and  affection,  were  all  the 
more  prized  because  of  the  surrounding  darkness  of  war  and 
rancor. 


We  attended  several  memorable  gatherings  at  the  home  of  Herr 
Consul  Schwarz.   This  gentleman  and  his  wife  and  children  are 
all  firm  and  united  in  the  Cause,  and  are  devoting  their  lives 
to  its  spread.   In  meetings  in  their  home  there  existed  always  a 
most  beautiful  spirit  of  kindness  and  hospitality. 

Herr  Schwarz  was  among  the  first  called  from  civil  life  for 
army  service.   He  had  a  major's  commission,  and  during  our  stay 
in  Stuttgart  was  stationed  at  Ludwigsberg,  a  military  recruiting 
post  only  a  few  miles  from  the  city,  so  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  him  at  the  several  meetings  he  was  able  to  attend,  hav 
ing  had  a  spare  hour  to  rest  froia  military  duty. 

50 


In  looking  back  over  the  gatherings  at  the  Schwarz  home,  one 
of  these  stands  out  particularly  in  my  memory.   The  day  was 
beautiful.   It  was  Sunday.   For  some  days  the  heavy  fighting  had 
been  continuous,  but  there  had  not  been  much  news  from  the 
front.   So  much  in  life  is  based  upon  comparative  standards  that 
even  in  war  there  are  days  of  rest  and  quiet,  and  this  day  of 
which  I  write  was  one  of  these. 

As  we  stood  upon  a  balcony  at  our  friends'  home,  situated 
high  up  on  a  hillside,  we  could  look  down  upon  the  old  part  of 
the  city  and  off  upon  the  hills  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  val 
ley.   It  was  all  very  beautiful.  Both  man's  work  and  that  of 
Nature  had  been  happily  combined  in  the  scene  before  us.   As  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach  were  cultivated  gardens  and  beautiful 
trees  interspersed  with  fine  buildings,  from  the  'cathedral  and 
•'Schloss'   in  the  old  part  of  the  town  in  the  valley,  to  the 
modern  residences  on  terraces  on  the  hills,  up  the  sides  and 
over  the  tops  of  which  the  city  had  gradually  climbed  in  recent 
years. 

Joining  the  friends  indoors,  we  met  with  a  score  or  more  of 
people  who  had  gathered  to  hear  the  Message.   One  of  the  Bahais, 
an  elderly  lady  with  quite  white  hair,  arrested  my  attention  and 
I  was  told  that  she  was  a  widow,  a  relative  of  the  wife  of  the 
Consul,  and  that  her  only  son,  an  officer  in  the  army,  had  gone 
to  the  front.   The  meeting  progressed,  several  of  the  friends 
read  tablets  and  spoke  of  the  teachings,  when  there  was  a  slight 
interruption,  while  the  elderly  lady  just  mentioned  was  called 
from  the  room.   Before  leaving  the  house  a  look  of  distress  upon 
the  face  of  our  hostess  prompted  me  to  inquire  if  any  news  had 
been  received,  and  she  told  me  that  word  had  come  that  the  widow's 
son  had  been  killed  and  buried  on  the  field  of  battle.   It  was 
under  such  burdens  and  sorrows  that  our  friends  were  serving 
in  Germany  and  trying  to  lay  the  foundation  of  The  Kingdom, 
their  faith  giving  them  the  necessary  strength  and  fortitude  to 
support  afflictions  because  they  were  strong  in  the  Lord. 


Some  clays  after  our  journey  from  Leipzig,  the  general  mobili 
zation  of  the  army  having  been  accomplished,  passenger  trains  be 
gan  running  again,  and  Miss  Knobloch  was  able  to  come  to  Stutt 
gart.   Through  this  friend  we  met  many  people  to  whom  she  had 
spoken  about  the  Cause,  and  v/e  attended  a  number  of  gatherings 
in  the  home  of  Fraulein  Dor  ing,  one  of  the  first  women  in  Germany  to 
engage  in  the  Bahai  work. 

At  one  of  these  reunions  we  met' a  young  Stuttgarter,  who  had 
been  living  in  Chemnitz,  near  Leipzig,  one  of  the  many  whom,  on 

51 


SOUTH  FRONT  OF  THE  MQZAFER  KHANEH 


NORTH  FRONT  OF  THE  MOZAFER  KHANEH 


52 


account  of  the  war,  we  had  not  been  able  to  aeet  while  in  the 
North.   This  young  man  had  been  called  to  Stuttgart  in  order  to 
be  ready  to  join  the  army  when  the  call  came.   One  could  scarcely 
imagine  anyone  with  more  love  in  his  nature  and  less  fight  in 
his  heart  than  this  boy  of  nineteen  years.   He  was  in  all  the 
meetings  and  with  us  much.   We  often  went  to  his  widowed 
mother's  home.   She  kept  a  small  restaurant,  and  she  always  hos'- 
pitably  received  us  and  fed  us  with  various  kinds  of  sweets. 
She  was  a  mother,  and  the  kindly  atmosphere  of  the  place  drew  us 
there . 

With  the  first  selection  of  men  for  the  field  our  young 
friend  was  rejected  on  account  of  not  being  robust  enough;  he 
was  but  a  stripling.   He  was  supremely  happy  and  joyful  at  the 
prospect  of  a  longer  association  with  the  Bahais,  for  he  was 
quite  new  in  the  Ca\ase;  but  after  several  weeks,  when  the  call 
went  forth  ^o  all  the  younger  and  older  men  within  the  military 
age  limits,  he  was  called. 

One  day  we  went  to  bid  good-bye  to  the  boy.   He  had  been 
ordered  to  Strassbourgh  to  join  an  army  corps.   The  mother  was  in 
tears,  but  submissive.  The  boy's  lip  quivered,  but  he  was  brave. 
Upon  his  person  he  carried  some  Bahai  treasures,  a  photograph  of 
Abdul  Baha,  a  copy  of  the  ''Greatest  Name,''  and  some  prayers, 
while  his  heart  was  turned  toward  the  Covenant  of  the  Lord.   He 
sent,  a  message  to  Abdul  Baha  of  love  and  greeting,  to  which 
Abdul  Baha  replied:  *'I  hope,  through  the  Grace  of  God,  although 
he  is  in  the  midst  of  fire  he  will  be  protected.   Of  course  when 
one  is  amid  fire  the  blaze  will  affect  one.'' 


At  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  there  were  some  three  hundred 
or  more  Americans  in  Stuttgart.   Because  of  the  halt  of  all 
civilian  travel  these  people  were  forced  to  remain  where  they 
were.   The  American  Consulate  was  fairly  besieged.   For  some 
days  I  went  there  almost  daily,  hoping  to  get  a  cable  or  letter 
through  to  family  and  friends  in  the  States,  assuring  them  of 
our  welfare,  but  no  such  communications  were  possible.   Finally, 
the  American  Consul  was  able  to  arrange  for  a  train  to  convey 
the  Americans  from  Stuttgart  through  to  Rotterdam,  where  they 
hoped  to  find  steamer  accommodations  to  New  York.  Early  one  morn 
ing  we  went  down  to  the  station  to  see  our  compatriots  off.   By 
buying  tickets  to  the  next  station  down  the  ] ine— -we  had  no  in 
tention  of  going  there — we  were  able  to  force  our  way  through 
the  crowd  and  get  through  the  gates,  where  our  fellow  countrymen 
were  boarding  their  train.   Selecting  one  pleasant  looking  stout 
gentleman  from  the  crowd,  I  asked  him  if  he  would  kindly  take 

63 


charge  of  a  package  of  letters  and,  once  out  of  Germany,  mail 
them.   This  he  did,  for  in  due  time  they  arrived  at  their  re 
spective  destinations,  assuring  family  and  friends  of  our  safety 
and  happiness. 

The  long  train  pulled  out  of  the  train-shed  amid  many  hur 
rahs  and.  waving  of  American  flags,  and  we  found  ourselves  with 
our  Consul  to  be  about  the  only  American  men  remaining.   He 
seemed  a  bit  annoyed  that  we  had  not  grasped  the  opportunity  to 
leave,  for  he  had  been  much  harassed,  and  was  as  anxious  as  were 
the  Americans  themselves  to  get  them  off  his  hands.   However, 
that  was  the  last  he  saw  of  us,  for  we  had  our  circle  of  friends 
and  work  which  occupied  us.   In  fact,  the  thought  of  leaving 
Germany  then  never  occurred  to  us,  for  though  the  war  made  things 
difficult  from  the  material  standpoint,  yet  from  the  spiritual 
aspect  all  was  in  order,  and  the  way  was  made  for  the  work  we 
hoped  to  accomplish. 

•  ••        *•*        «  *  « 

Our  two  Persian  brothers  were  much  in  our  company.   They 
were  quartered  in  an  apartment  in  the  home  of  Bahai  friends,  Herr 
and  Prau  Eckstein,  and  daily  we  wore  off  together  on  some  mis 
sion.  Herr  and  Frau  Eckstein  had  two  sons,  both  in  the  army, 
so  when  our  two  Persians  found  they  would  have  to  remain  for  a 
time  in  Germany  the  Ecksteins  insisted  that  they  come  into  their 
home  and  live  there.   Here  v/as  another  demonstration  of  the 
spirit  of  religious  unity.   A  Moslem  and  a  Jew  through  this 
teaching  believing  in  Christ  and  united  with  a  Christian  family, 
who  were  in  turn  united  with  them,  showering  kindness  upon  them 
as  if  they  had  been  of  their  own  race.   They  were  all  of  the 
same  spiritual  kind,  and  this  illumination  of  soul  and  acknowl 
edged  oneness  was  the  foundation  of  their  friendly  relation. 

I  might  describe  many  informal  meetings  held  at  the  Eckstein 
home.   We  usually  met  our  oriental  friends  on  a  balcony  over 
looking  the  garden  adjoining  the  house,  which,  though  in  the 
heart  of  the  city,  with  its  encircling  screen  of  high  trees,  gave 
an  impression  of  country.   However,  I  will  content  myself  with 
dwelling  upon  but  one  experience  in  their  home. 

It  was  one  stormy  night,  torrents  of  rain  and  thunder  and 
lightning  playing  without,  while  within  we  two  Americans  and  two 
Persians  were  cosily  seated  at  the  Eckstein  board  trying  to  en 
joy  a  delicious  meal.   Herr  and  Prau  Eckstein  were  as  cheerful 
as  possible,  and  doing  and  saying  all  they  could  to  put  us  at 
our  ease  and  to  make  us  enjoy  ourselves,  yet  beneath  their  man 
ner  one  felt  that  their  hearts  were  heavy  and  burdened,  fcr  news 
had  come  that  day  of  storms  and  bad  weather  along  the  front  said 

54 


of  heavy  German  losses  where  their  sons  were  fighting.  Despite 
their  spirit  of  faith  and  assurance  in  things  Divine  they  were 
suffering  humanly. 

At  one  time  the  telephone  rang,  and  at  another  time  the  door 
bell,  and  at  these  moments  the  tension  of  anxiety  was  manifested 
in  expression  and  glance,  to  be  momentarily  lifted  when  no  bad 
news  was  announced.   Though  we  four  visitors  had  no  troubles  of 
our  own,  we  were  sick  at  heart  because  of  the  trouble  of  our 
friends,  though  like  them  we  were  talking  and  thinking  as  cheer 
ful  and.  as  helpful  thoughts  as  possible.   Having  finished  the 
meal,  or  more  properly  speaking  left  off,  for  we  were  not  in  a 
mood  to  eat,  Herr  Eckstein  said:  * 'Would  you  not  like  to  see 
Otto's  room."    So  we  followed  him  to  the  vacant  apartment  of 
his  younger  son,  who  was  just  twenty  when  called  to  the  army  a 
few  weeks  before.   There  were  all  of  the  boy's  things  just  as  he 
had  left  them.   An  alpenstock,  a  coil  of  rope,  a  glacier  axe, 
and  light  camping  outfit.   He  had  been  planning  a  vacation  in 
Switzerland  when  the  call  to  arms  had  come,  while  on  a  table  be 
side  the  bed  lay  a  Bible.   We  stood  around  without  saying  a 
word;  there  was  nothing  to  say.   We  felt  too  deeply;  then,  by 
common  consent,  we  joined  in  a  few  moments  of  silent  prayer  for 
the  illumination,  guidance,  and  protection  of  the  boy  on  the 
battlefield. 

On  leaving  the  house  a  few  minutes  later  we  found  that  the 
storm  had  cleared  and  we  all  went  to  a  public  Bahai  meeting  held 
in  a  hall  in  the  Burghermuse,  down  in  the  heart  of  the  city. 

The  stress  and  strain  to  which  I  have  just  referred,  under 
which  our  friends  were  laboring,  was  characteristic  of  practi 
cally  every  Bahai  household  we  entered.   Nevertheless,  their 
spirits  were  sustained  by  their  faith,  and  though  there  was  but 
little  hope  of  their  ever  seeing  their  loved  ones  again  they 
were  happy  in  their  Bahai  service  of  laying  the  foundation  in 
the  world  of  better  conditions  to  the  extent  that  future  genera 
tions  may  be  in  peace,  and  that  the  world  of  humanity  may  enjoy 
the  fruits  of  unity  and  concord  and  be  spared  the  horrors  of  war. 


Trouble,  suffering,  and  affliction  do  produce  a  sympathy  and 
an  understanding  between  people.   It  is  a  terrible  thing  that  it 
has  to  be  thus  bought  so  dearly,  when  all  that  is  necessary  is 
the  change  of  heart  which  can  be  attained  when  the  soul  once 
realizes  and  recognizes  the  spiritual  reality  of  religion. 

One  Sunday  afternoon  a  party  of  us  were  going  to  attend  a 
meeting  of  friends,  people  interested  in  the  work,  in  the  neigh- 

55 


boring  town  of  Felsbach.   In  leaving  the  station  our  train  was 
sidetracked  for  a  few  minutes  to  allow  the  passage  of  an  ambu 
lance  train  from  the  front.   The  wounded,  both  German  and  French 
in  friendly  relations,  were  in  the  same  box  cars  lying  together 
on  the  straw  which  covered  the  floors.   All  were  suffering,  and 
among  our  own  party  I  saw  the  eyes  of  several  wet  with  tears. 
Subsequently,  a  sister  Bahai  who  was  doing  relief  work  at  one  of 
the  railroad  stations,  told  us  of  an  incident  which  had  come 
under  her  notice.   Both  French  and  German  wounded  were  being 
received,  and  a  cup  of  coffee  was  handed  to  a.  German,  who  in 
sisted  that  the  suffering  Frencliman  at  his  side  should  be  served 
first,  since  he  had  been  longer  without  food.   Many  similar  dem 
onstrations  of  amity  between  the  soldiers  did  we  hear  of,  and 
this  made  us  feel  sure  that  the  time  is  coming  when  the  suffer 
ing  will  have  become  so  intense  that  as  a  last  resort  the  masses 
of  the  belligerent  peoples  will  be  swept  by  the  ideals  of  the 
religion,  not  of  man,  but  of  God,  and  that  in  a  very  short  order 
a  new  age  will  appear. 

»»•    ...    ... 

Under  all  conditions  the  active  Bahai  finds  work  to  do,  even 
under  the  most  unpromising  prospects.   During  the  mobilization 
of  troops  in  the  various  cities,  the  citizens  were  called  upon 
to  house  the  men.   There  was  scarcely  a  home,  however  small, 
where  there  were  not  one  or  two  soldiers  lodged.   Here  was  an 
other  opportunity  for  the  Bahais  to  reach  men  whom  under  normal 
conditions  they  would  not  have  been  able  to  meet.   In  all  our 
meetings  we  had  soldiers.   These  men,  quartered  in  the  city  for 
a  few  days,  or  for  two  or  three  weeks,  would  frequent  the  even 
ing  meetings  as  much  as  possible,  then  when  they  had  gone  out 
into  the  field,  each  with  his  small  supply  of  Bahai  literature, 
that  they  might  share  with  comrades  the  Bahai  ideals  and 
message,  other  soldiers  would  take  their  places  in  the  various 
homes,  and  in  turn  be  brought  in  contact  with  the  teaching. 
Among  these  was  a  young  man  from  a  near-by  village,  a  florist  by 
trade,  who  for  the  few  days  he  was  with  us  showed  his  interest  in 
the  Cause  by  attending  all  meetings,  and  by  supplying  the  people 
in  the  gatherings  with  flowers  from  his  garden.   One  day  he  was 
called  away  with  his  regiment,  but  in  eight  days  was  brought 
back  with  a  bullet  in  his  thigh.   As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  see 
friends,  we  went  out  to  the  military  hospital  where  he  lay. 
Though  suffering,  he  was  happy,  for  even  there  among  the  wounded 
upon  either  side  of  him  he  had  been  able  to  make  the  way  for  the 
visiting  Bahais  to  serve  them,  and  tell  them  more  about  the 
unity  of  the  world. 

The  following  incident,  which  happened  to  one  of  the  Bahai 
soldiers,  was  mentioned  by  him  in  a  postal  to  his  home  in  Stutt- 

56 


gart.   In  a  skirmish  along  the  Western  front  he  had  occasion  to 
capture  two  Frenchmen,  whom  he  had  to  take  some  distance  within 
the  German  lines  before  turning  them  over  to  the  proper  authori 
ties.   The  prisoners  were  terrified,  for  they  expected  to  be 
killed,  but  our  friend,  though  in  the  pursuance  of  his  military 
duty,  showed  them  such  kindness  that  when  the  time  came  for  them 
to  separate  one  clung  to  his  hand,  while  the  other  embraced  him. 
Thus  even  amid  the  din  of  battle  came  the  opportunity  for  this 
man  to  show  forth  the  Bahai  spirit  of  brotherhood. 


Undoubtedly  some  of  my  readers  are  asking  themselves:  * 'How 
comes  it  that  the  Bahais,  who  teach  peace  and  believe  that  it  is 
better  to  be  killed  than  to  kill,  are  thus  engaged  in  war?'' 
Jesus  answered  a  similar  question  when  He  said:  ''Render  unto 
Caesar  the  things  which  are  Caesar's.''   In  the  warring  coun 
tries  in  Europe,  with  the  exception  of  England,  all  able-bodied 
men  between  certain  age  limits  are  obliged  to  take  up  arms 
whether  they  wish  to  do  so  or  not.   Nothing  could  be  more  dis 
tasteful  to  a  Bahai  than  to  kill  a  brother  man.   Nevertheless, 
for  the  present,  in  the  war  lands  of  Europe  he  is  obliged  to 
''render  unLo  Caesar,*'  and  this  he  is  doing,  strong  in  the 
knowledge  and  assurance  taat  the  time  will  soon  come  when  na- 
tiors  will  cease  to  make  war,  and  God's  law  of  peace  will  be  on 
earth  as  it  is  in  heaven. 


The  town  of  Esslingeii  on  the  Nekar,  about  nine  miles  from 
Stuttgart,  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  cities  in  Wurttemberg. 
Surrounded  by  mediaeval  towers  and  fortifications,  the  old  part 
of  the  town  with  its  * *schloB8, ' '  ' ' rathaus , '   and  churches  of 
the  Gothic  period,  its  narrow  winding  streets  and  half-timbered 
dwellings,  the  upper  stories  projecting  out  over  the  street, 
takes  one  back  several  centuries.   Such  is  Esslingen  of  the 
past,  but  amid  these  ancient  surroundings  a  new  life  is  entering 
into  the  souls  of  the  people,  for  here  the  ideals  of  Baha'o'llah 
are  taking  root,  and  devoted  people  are  arising  to  serve  the 
Cause . 

Though  we  went  each  week  to  Esslingen,  I  will  only  attempt, 
to  describe  one  of  those  meetings,  which  in  enthusiasm  and 
spirit  were  all  about  equal  in  character. 

Leaving  Stuttgart  in  company  with  several  of  the  younger 
Bahai  men  who  had  not  yet  been  called  to  the  army,  we  took  a 
train  over  to  the  Nekar.  Crossing  the  valley  on  foot,  we 

57 


climbed  the  Wittenberg,  a  mountain  upon  the  summit  of  which  is  a 
classic  chapel,  the  Mausoleum  of  the  kings  of  Wurttemberg.   From 
the  park  sxirrounding  the  chapel  we  had  a  very  extended  view  of 
the  surrounding  country  with  its  many  towns  and  villages,  with 
here  and  there  a  tower  or  fortification  of  ancient  date,  a  tes 
timony  of  past  wars,  while  at  our  feet  in  the  valley  below 
peacefully  flowed  the  silvery  Nekar,  surrounded  by  green  fields. 

Striking  off  into  the  mountains  by  a  well-travelled  trail,  we 
found  ourselves  going  through  a  most  picturesque  rural  district. 
Passing  through  several  villages  and  by  a  number  of  farmhouses, 
we  were  kindly  greeted  by  the  people  with  the  salutation  pecu 
liar  to  the  Wurttembergers:  ''Greuse  Gott.'    Old  men,  women,  and 
children  we  saw  on  all  sides,  all  busily  engaged  in  work,  but 
there  were  no  able-bodied  men  to  be  seen  anywhere. 

Our  route  finally  brought  us  out  again  on  a  height  above  the 
valley  near  Esslingen,  whither 'we  were  bound.   Entering  the  city, 
we  went  to  the  house  of  a  friend,  where  we  had  tea,  and  later,  in 
company  with  several  who  had  joined  the  party,  we  all  walked  up 
past  the  beautiful  Frauen  Kirche,  the  largest  and  most  beautiful 
church  of  the  town,  and  by  the  Jewish  cemetery  without  the  city 
walls,  (in  mediaeval  days  they  were  thus  excluded)  to  the  house 
where  the  evening  meeting  had  been  prepared. 

Long  tables  tastefully  decorated  with  flowers  and  refresh 
ments  had  been  arranged  in  the  shape  of  a  large  U,  about  which 
we  seated  ourselves  to  the  number  of  over  fifty.   After  all  had 
been  served  and  partaken  of  material  food  the  spiritual  meeting 
began.   It  consisted  of  readings  from  the  Word  of  God,  and  short 
talks  from  various  persons  present. 

Our  Jewish  brother,  Dr.  Habibollah,  told  us  some  very  inter 
esting  things  about  the  Jews  in  Persia.   How,  for  many  centur 
ies,  they  had  lived  closely  within  the  confines  of  their  own 
views,  opposing  Christ,  until  now,  through  the  power  of  the 
Bahai  light,  they  are  being  taught  the  truth,  and  a  large  number 
of  them  have  broadened  out  from  their  former  attitude  of  hatred 
towards  Christians,  and  these  sa-ne  people  now  are  believing  that 
Jesus  was  the  Promised  One  whom  their  forefathers  ought  to  have 
accepted,  a,nd  in  whom  now  they  themselves  believe. 

None  the  less  interesting  was  the  story  told  by  our  Moslem 
brother,  Mirza  Azizollah.   He  spoke  of  the  extreme  hatred  and 
animosity  which  for  over  thirteen  centuries  had  existed  between 
Moslems  and  Christians,  of  the  bloody  religious  wars  and  destruc 
tion  which  was  the  fruit  of  this  violent  hatred,  and  then  he 
told  of  the  hold  which  the  Cause  had  in  the  Moslem  countries, 

58 


and  how  it  had  changed  the  hearts-  of  the  people  to  the  extent 
that  these  very  same  persons  who,  a  few  years  ago,  believed  that 
to  kill  a  Christian  was  an  act  which  would  have  met  with  Divine 
favor,  now  quickened  by  the  spirit  of  true  brotherhood  are  waiting 
with  open,  loving  hearts  to  welcome  their  Christian  brothers 
and  sisters  from  the  West,  and  to  show  them  all  hospitality. 
This  testimony  touched  the  hearts  of  all  present,  and  for  the 
moment  1  found  myself  transported  back  in  thought  to  the  countries 
of  which  he  spoke,  countries  in  which  I  had  travelled  and  where 
I  had  been  the  recipient  of  kindness  arid  love  at  the  hands  of 
many  friends . 

* 

After  the  words  of  these  frisnds  were  put  into  German  for 
the  benefit  of  those  present  who  did  not  speak  English  several 
German  friends  spoke,  dwelling  upon  the  joy  of  the  coming  to 
gether  in  love  and  unity  of  the  peoples  of  the  different  reli 
gions,  of  which  we  had  a  demonstration  in  our  midst,  and  of  the 
importance  to  the  progress  of  the  world  of  that  unity. 

It  was  late  in  the  night  whe i  the  meeting  dispersed,  several 
of  the  young  men  accompanying  us  down  to  the  next  village,  and 
then  by  foot  across  the  valley,  where  we  took  a  train  back  to 
Stuttgart.   It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night.   As  we  crossed 
the  bridge  over  the  river  and  continued  the  road  beyond,  the 
spirit  of  the  meeting  was  so  strongly  with  as  that  it  was  as  if 
we  had  glimpses  into  the  future  when  Europe  would  be  as  one 
country,  and  these  warring  elements  would  be  fused  into  one  great 
world  people .   The  peace  in  our  hearts  and  the  love  we  bore  one 
another  and  all  humanity  made  the  problem  seem  to  be  a  very  sim 
ple  one  to  us. 

All  human  difficulties  are  solved  and  set  right  through 
love.   This  Abdul  Baha  is  demonstrating  in  his  work  of  estab 
lishing  in  people's  hearts  the  light  of  Baha'o'llah,  yet  as  we 
walked  along,  arm-in-arm,  we  were  constantly  reminded  of  the 
warring  multitudes,  who  as  yet  had  not  been  reached  by  the 
spirit  of  the  Cause.   Far  off  above  the  hills  over  the  valley, 
in  the  direction  of  Stuttgart,  we  could  see  the  frequent  flashes 
of  searchlights  patrolling  the  heavens,  ever  alert  for  the  ap 
proach  of  the  airships,  lest  bombs  be  dropped  on  the  city. 

Toward  the  end  of  our  stay  in  Stuttgart  Herr  and  Frau  Herri  - 
gel,  who  are  well  known  through  their  service  to  the  Cause, 
spread  a  beautiful  supper  feast  in  their  home.   There  were  about 
thirty-five  at  the  meal,  Protestants  and  Catnolics,  including 
a  priest  of  the  Catholic  church.   All  were  gathered  in  the 
spirit  of  amity,  and  the  discussion  was  centered  upon  the  unity 
of  mankind. 

69 


ABDUL  BAHA  ENTERING  THE  GARDEN  OF  HIS 
HOUSE  IN  HAIFA 


ABDUL  BAHA ' S  HOUSE  IN  HAIFA 


60 


In  the  neighboring  town  of  Zuffenhausen,  at  the  home  of  Herr 
and.  Frail  Schweizer,  who  are  active  in  the  work,  as  well  as  in 
other  neighboring  towns,  in  the  homes  of  other  Bahai  workers, 
many  meetings  were  held,  all  of  which  were  conducive  to  the 
spirit  of  the  work  of  unity,  and  productive  of  much  good  feeling. 

It  was  only  a  few  days  before  we  lei't  Germany  that  Mr.  Lati- 
mer  and  I  knew  definitely  that  we  were  going  to  visit  Abdul 
Baha.   Nevertheless,  from  the  beginning  of  our  travels  together 
we  had  talked  and  hoped  to  make  the  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land. 

From  Stuttgart  two  telegrams  were  sent  to  Abdul  Baha  asking 
for  advice  as  to  the  next  move  of  our  two  Persian  friends  and 
ourselves,  since  they  had  been  unable  to  go  to  England,  but  had 
been  obliged  to  remain  in  Suttgart.   The  first  dispatch  never 
reached  its  destination,  but  the  second  did  reach  Abdul  Baha, 
and  shortly  we  had  a  wire  from  Abdul  Baha  telling  us  to  come  on 
to  Haifa  by  the  most  feasible  route. 

It  was  with  a  heart  wrench  that  we  parted  from  our  many  dear 
friends  and  started  on  our  journey  to  the  Orient. 

A  small  crowd  gathered  in  the  station  to  see  us  off,  and  la 
den  wit'i  letters  and  messages  to  the  Bahais  in  various  coun 
tries,  -is  well  as  with  gifts  of  fruits  and  other  edibles,  we 
boarded  our  train  for  the  Swiss  frontier.   The  train  stopped  for 
a  moment  at  Fsslingen  and  we  had  a  hurried  good-bye  moment  with 
a  party  of  friends  assembled  there.   The  last  word  was  from  a 
young  man  to  a  brother  Bahai  in  England,  with  whom  he  corre 
sponded  in  Esperanto.   It  was  a  greeting  of  love  and  sorrow  at 
the  war  which  had  broken  their  correspondence,  though  it  had 
not  separated  them  in  spirit. 

The  spirit  of  brotherly  love  perpetrates  hearts  and  is  always 
appreciated  by  all  people  under  all  conditions;  nevertheless, 
when  one  finds  war  and  bloodshed  upon  all  sides,  and  hatred  gen 
erally  manifested  about  him  under  these  conditions,  he  appre 
ciates  friendship  far  more  than  he  possibly  could  amid  more  paci 
fic  surroundings.   Such  was  our  experience  while  in  Germany.   The 
war  spirit  was  rife  everywhere.   The  people  were  aroused  and  an 
gry.   All  foreigners  were  looked  upon  with  disfavor,  but  in  the 
midst  of  all  this  rancor  and  unrest  we  found  amid  our  Bahai 
friends  harincny  and  peace  of  soul,  and  such  loving  hearts  that 
we  were  made  thankful  and  happy  to  have  been  with  them  even  in 
such  distressing  war  times. 

•  ••        •••        *•• 

Our  route  took  us  by  way  of  Ulm  to  Fredrichshaven  on  the 
Lake  of  Konstarts,  where  our  luggage  and  persons  were  subjected 

61 


to  a  strict  examination  for  any  possible  documents  containing 
military  information  before  we  were  allowed  to  board  the  small 
steamer  which  conveyed  us  across  the  lake  to  the  Swiss  town  of 
Romanshorn,  where  we  found  ourselves  in  a  neutral  country. 

Taking  a  connecting  train  on  to  Zurich,  where  the  night  was 
spent,  we  made  an  early  start  the  following  morning  for  Milan, 
going  down  into  Italy  over  the  St.  Gothard.   In  Milan  we  booked 
for  sailings  upon  the  next  Italian  steamer  from  Venice  for 
Egypt.   After  a  couple  of  days  in  Milan  we  went  on  to  Venice, 
from  whence  our  ship  sailed  four  days  later.   Though  at  that 
time,  late  in  September,  Italy  had  not  entered  into  the  war,  yet 
the  war  spirit  was  running  quite  high.   The  newspapers  were  pub 
lishing  articles  calculated  to  inflame  public  opinion,  with  the 
result  that  the  people  were  excited  and  stimulated  to  conquest 
under  the  idea  of  adjusting  past  international  wrongs  and  of 
adding  to  the  present  national  glory  and  power  of  Italy.   All  of 
this  was,  of  course,  but  the  preliminary  step  towards  the  war  in 
which  Italy  is  now  plunged. 

As  we  travelled  through  Northern  Italy,  we  felt  that,  if 
only  this  destructive  thought  in  the  minds  of  the  people  were 
transmuted  into  constructive  peace  thought,  war  could  not  hap 
pen.   Everywhere  there  was  manifested  need  for  the  elevation  of 
the  ideal  of  spiritual  peace  and  harmony  between  the  nations, 
and  that  this  lofty  ideal  should  be  lived  by  the  people. 


A  journey  of  five  days  brought  us  down  through  the  Adriatic 
and  Mediterranean  seas  to  Alexandria  in  Egypt,  our  only  inter 
mediate  port  being  Brindisi.   Even  on  the  high  seas  we  were  re 
minded  of  war.   One  morning  at  daybreak  we  v/ere  overhauled  by  a 
French  cruiser,  from  which  an  officer  was  sent  aboard  our  ship 
to  examine  our  papers.   The  following  night  we  passed  a  Franco- 
British  squadron  guarding  the  entrance  of  the  Adriatic.   Six 
men-of-war  in  line,  dressed  in  their  dark  drab  paint,  without 
lights,  looming  up  one  by  one  on  the  horizon  out  of  the  dark 
night,  silently  awaiting  the  enemy,  gave  an  unpleasant  feeling 
of  dread,  not  that  we  ourselves  were  in  danger,  but  for  the  con 
sequences  all  around  should  an  engagement  of  belligerents  take 
place . 

*  •  •        *  .  *        »  •  • 

Egypt  was  also  in  a  state  of  war.   Our  party  was  subjected 
to  a  most  rigorous  examination  of  person  and  effects,   while 
several  of  us  had  letters  and  printed  matter  of  a  strictl.y  religious 
and  peaceful  nature  confiscated. 

62 


In  the  late  afternoon  of  the  day  we  landed  we  took  a  train 
for  Cairo.   The  journey,  made  in  from  three  to  four  hours,  was  a 
beautiful  ride  through  the  rich  grain  fields  of  the  Nile  delta, 
over  which  the  setting  sun  shed  that  rich  mellow  golden  light  so 
characteristic  of  the  sunsets  of  Egypt  and  the  desert.   Here  and 
there  the  fellahin  (native  peasantry)  were  working  in  the  fields, 
donkeys  and  camels  being  their  beasts  of  burden,  while  around 
about  their  poor  mud  huts  one  could  see  preparations  in  progress 
for  the  evening  meal. 

Shortly  after  dark  our  train  pulled  into  the  station  in 
Cairo.   Words  fail  one  when  one  tries  to  describe  the  bustle  and 
confusion  that  invariably  attends  the  arrival  of  the  traveller 
in  the  Orient.   At  first  it  is  disconcerting  and  the  uninitiated 
voyager  is  apt  to  agree  to  almost  any  demands  of  porters  and  dra 
gomans  rather  than  prolong  the  struggle,  but  with  a  little  expe 
rience  one's  sensibilities  become  somewhat  hardened  and  one 
learns  to  hold  out  against  the  multitudes  for  preservation  of 
purse  and  person. 

Before  leaving  Alexandria  we  had  sent  a  dispatch  to  an  ori 
ental  friend  in  Cairo,  advising  him  of  our  coming,  but  doubtful 
as  to  whether  he  would  be  at  home  we  were  hardly  expecting  any 
one  to  meet  us.   Altogether  we  had  a  goodly  number  of  pieces  of 
luggage,  and  while  we  were  parleying  with  several  porters,  who 
were  all  talking  to  us  at  the  same  time  and  at  the  top  of  their 
voices,  I  saw  looming  above  the  crowd  about  us  the  tall  and 
stately  figure  of  a  friend,  well  known  among  the  western  E aha is 
who  have  travelled  to  the  East — Hadji  Niaz  Kermani.   He  was  not 
long  in  coming  to  our  assistance,  and  in  a  few  moments  had 
quietly  arranged  for  the  transfer  of  our  effects. 

With  Hadji  Niaz  was  Mohammed  Taki  Esphahani,  who,  like  Hadji 
Niaz,  from  his  name  we  recognized  as  being  of  Moslem  origin. 
The  home  of  Mohammed  Taki  Esphahani  in  Cairo  is  one  of  the  Bahai 
centers  of  h'ospitality,  where  travellers  from  all  lands  find  a 
most  hearty  welcome. 

f 

After  escorting  us  to  an  English  hotel  opposite  the  public 
gardens  Taki  Mohammed  informed  us  that  he  was  expecting  us  to  dine 
with  him  that  night,  so  to  his  home  we  all  went.   The  building 
was  similar  in  character  to  many  of  those  of  modern  parts  of 
Cairo.   Mounting  to  the  second  floor,  we  were  shown  into  a  large 
salon,  from  which  opened  out  a  balcony  upon  which  we  went.   We 
found  ourselves  overlooking  a  garden  which  stretched  off  west 
ward  toward  the  Nile.   Tall  date  palm  trees,  silhouetted  against 
the  moonlit  sky,  waved  gracefully  in  the  evening  breezes. 

63 


Those  who  have  journeyed  on  , the  Nile  in  warm  seasons  ever  re 
call  the  refreshing  breezes  and.  the  sparkling  brilliancy  of  the 
nights  in  contrast  to  the  glaring  sunlight  and  parching  heat  of 
the  day.   There  it  is  only1  after  sunset  that  the  people  really 
enjoy  themselves,  that  they  circulate  about  enjoying  themselves, 
for  this  is  their  social  hour. 

As  we  sat  on  the  balcony  of  our  friend,  several  of  the 
Bahais  of  Cairo  joined  us.   One,  an  Egyptian  physician  who  had 
taken  his  medical  degree  in  France;  another,  a  young  man,  a  stu 
dent  in  the  American  University  in  Beirut;  another  young  man 
from  Persia,  travelling  that  he  might  study  and  understand  the 
civilization!?  of  foreign  countries;  and  still  others  came,  until 
we  had  quite  a  party. 

* 

It  must  have  been  about  ten  o'clock  when  the  meal  was  served, 
consisting  of  foods  both  oriental  and  occidental,  the  principal 
eastern  dish  being  pilau,  composed  of  boiled  rice,  light  and 
fluffy,  with  browned  pine  nuts,  raisins,  and  small  cubes  of  boiled 
chicken,  added  to  which  were  several  kinds  of  sauces  which  one 
could  take  to  one's  individual  taste. 

During  the  meal,  our  conversation  was  upon  the  subject  of 
the  Cause  which  had  brought  us  all  together  so  closely,  breaking 
bread  and  eating  at  the  same  board. 

A  well  known  author  has  written:  ''East  is  East  and  West 
is  West,  and  never  the  twain  shall  meet.'   Such  indeed,  and 
far  worse  too,  is  the  condition  of  separateness  between  these 
two  great  halves  of  humanity.   They  mingle  one  with  the  other, 
as  does  oil  with  water,  thus  forming  a  heterogeneous  humanity 
rather  than  a  homogeneous  unit.  Although  Europeans  have  lived 
in  the  East  for  generations,  yet  they  are  as  strangers  in  a 
strange  land  so  far  as  their  real  affilliation  with  the  oriental 
peoples  is  concerned.   R.eally  v/orse  than  this  mere  lack  of  un 
derstanding  and  co-operation  is  the  misunderstanding  and  natural 
enmity  which  exists.   The  vast  majority  of  westerners  dislike 
orientals,  while  the  vast  majority  of  easterners  dislike  with 
equal  cordiality  the  occidentals.  .  The  reason  for  this  inharmo 
nious  condition  is  at  root  prejudice,  principally  religious  and 
racial. 

There  is  a  darkness  in  humanity  the  world  over,  but  there  'is 
light  too.   When  one  looks  for  darkness  one  finds  darkness,  and 
when  one  looks  for  light,  one  finds  light  also.   Goodness  and 
virtue  are  equally  divided  among  all  peoples.   Like  the  Occi 
dent,  the  Orient  is  teeming  with  virtue.   All  that  is  necessary 
is  that  the  virtue  be  discovered  and  brought  into  the  light. 

64 


The  oriental  peoples  are  strong  in  hospitality,  kindness, 
friendship,  and  in  idealism,  and  fervent  in  matters  of  the 
spirit.   The  western  people  need  these  elements  which  the  orien 
tals  have,  and  the  oriental  peoples  need  the  material  and  intel 
lectual  elements  of  western  civilization.   It  is  for  the  advance 
ment  of  the  whole  world  that  there  should  be  a  harmonious  union  of 
these  two  halves  of  the  human  race. 

It  is  very  unusual  in  the  Orient  for  people  of  different 
religions  to  eat  together.   From  most  ancient  times  the  breaking 
of  bread  and  the  eating  of  salt  have  been  the  signs  of  the  deep 
est  trust  and  friendship  between  orientals;  and  there  we  were, 
our  first  night  in  an  oriental  land,  received  by  our  eastern 
brethren  and  shown  by  form  and  in  the  spirit,  the  deepest 
friendship.   In  the  light  of  that  meeting  the  problem  of  unity 
and  harmony  between  peoples  did  not  seem  to  be  a  difficult  one. 
With  the  necessary 'brotherly  spirit  all  other  blessings  follow. 

This  was  not  the  only  meeting  of  the  kind  in  store  for  us. 
Each  of  the  several  nights  our  party  spent  in  Cairo  we  assembled 
regularly  in  the  hospitable  home  of  Mohammed  Taki  Esphahani  for 
a  late  dinner,  and  during  those  times  we  learned  much  about  the 
Cause  and  its  growth  in  the  Orient.   The  name  of  the  great  Bahai 
teacher  Mirsa  Abul  Fazl  was  often  on  our  lips.   He  had  departed 
this  life  of  service  on  earth  a  few  months  previous  to  our 
visit,  and  it  was  in  the  home  of  Taki  Mohammed  that  he  was  ten 
derly  cared  for  and  nursed  during  his  last  illness,  and  from 
whence  the  friends  carried  his  remains  to  the  tomb. 

Mirza  Abul  Fazl,  of  the  ancient  town  of  Gulpaygan,  in  Persia, 
was  one  of  the  most  learned  men  of  the  oriental  world.   He  was 
holding  a  professorship  in  one  of  the  universities  in  Teheran 
when  he  learned  of  the  Bahai  Cause  and  came  to  an  understanding 
of  its  principles,  and  he  arose  to  promulgate  its  truths.  He  was 
opposed,  robbed  of  his  property,  and  persecuted  by  the  Moslems 
for  his  stand.   Five  months,  twenty-two  months,  six  months,  re 
spectively,  was  he  imprisoned  at  various  times  because  of  his 
belief,  but  notwithstanding  these  troubles  he  continued  his 
work,  writing  many  books  and  treatises  on  the  Movement,  and  trav 
elling  and  residing  in  many  lands,  both  East  and  West,  that  he 
might  teach  the  Cause  and  establish  its  principles  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people. 

Mirza  Abul  Fazl  was  much  beloved  by  the  American  Bahais,  for 
he  was  one  of  the  first  of  the  oriental  Bahai  teachers  to  come  to 
the  West.   He  came  to  the  States  in  the  early  days  of  the  Move 
ment  there,  some  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  ago,  and  through  his 
untiring  efforts  and  devotion  he  instilled  into  the  people  the 
true  principles  of  the  religion  of  God. 

66 


In  an  interview  with  an  American  Bahai  Abdul  Baha  recently 
said:  * 'Although  the  books  and  writings  of  Abul  Fazl  are  used  in 
many  countries  as  text  books,  never  did  he  even  give  a  sign  that 
he  was  an  authority  on  any  subject;  consequently,  the  gifts  of 
God  ever  increased  upon  him,  since  he  bore  all  honors  in  humil 
ity,  until  he  attained  the  Supreme  Nearness.   Those  in  real  au 
thority  are  known  by  their  humility  and  self-sacrifice,  and  show 
no  attitude  cf  superiority  over  the  friends. 

One  day,  a  friend,'  an  Egyptian  doctor  of  medicine,  at  our 
request  took  us  to  visit  the  tomb  of  Mirsa  Abul  Fazl.   Hie  re 
mains  are  laid  in  the  family  mausoleum  of  one  of  the  Persian 
friends,  Hadji  Mirza  Hassan  Khorassani,  in  a  cemetery  on  a  hill  to 
the  east  of  the  city,  which  looked,  from  a  little  distance,  to  be 
a  part  of  the  city  itself,  since  it  was  laid  off  in  streets  with 
tombs  on  either  side,  a  miniature  city  of  the  dead. 

Arriving  near  our  destination,  we  alighted  from  the  car 
riages,  and  going  in  and  out  of  several  narrow  streets  we  en 
tered  a  small  building,  though  large  for  its  purpose,  which  cov 
ered  the  resting  place  of  our  late  friend  and  spiritual  teacher. 
A  simple  chamber,  in  one  corner  of  which  stood  the  large  marble 
sarcophagus  cf  one  of  the  members  of  the  Khorassani  family, 
while  in  the  center  of  the  floor  was  a  simple,  as  yet  unmarked 
slab  which  covered  the  spot  beneath  which  rested  the  mortal  body 
of  Mirza  Abul  Fazl.   Around  this  we  stood  in  silence  for  some 
time.   I  have  rarely  felt  so  profound  a  silence.   The  whole 
place  seemed  to  pulsate  and  to  vibrate  and  we  each  felt  it.   We 
left  the  place,  thinking  and  speaking  of  the  work -and  services 
to  the  Cause  which  had  made  the  name  of  Mirza  Abul  Fazl  so  pre 
cious  to  the  Baha  is  in  fill  parts  of  the  world. 


During  our  few  days  in  Cairo,  we  were  constantly  meeting  and 
in  company  with  our  many  friends.   Hadji  Niaz  was  most  friendly 
and  faithful  in  his  attendance.   He  personally  conducted  us  to 
the  pyramids  and  to  many  out-of-the-way  and  interesting  places 
in  the  native  parts  of  old  Cairo.   His  tall,  erect  figure,  gray 
beard,  high  white  turban,  and  flowing  robes  created  a  dignity 
which  was  truly  patriarchal,  while  his  cordial  smile  and  ease 
of  manner  gave  him  an  elasticity  characteristic  of  a  youth, 
which  the  gray  hair  and  the  lines  in  his  face  contradicted.   He 
was  constantly  serving  the  friends  and  never  seemed  to  tire  with 
the  output  of  physical  energy,  for  apparently  he  was  quite  as 
fresh  at  the  end  of  a  strenuous  day  as  he  was  at  the  beginning. 

All  of  the  Bahai s  who  have  visited  Cairo  will  recall  the 
meetings  held  in  the  home  of  the  Persian  Hadji  Mirza  Hassan,  the 

66 


merchant  of  Khorassan.   Toward  dusk  of  our  second  day  in  the  city 
we  were  conducted  to  his  house.   A  driveway  from  the  street 
flanked  by  trees  and  shrubs  led  to  the  main  doorway  of  the  resi 
dence.   Like  many  oriental  homes  of  the  larger  type  the  veatibule 
gave  into  a  large  high  hall  or  central  room  from  which,  opened 
various  other  rooms.   Doors  at  the  far  end  of  this  main  room, 
with  its  high  panelled  cejling,  opened  out  upon  a  deep  loggia 
with  a  tesselated  marble  floorinp;.   Going  out  into  the  loggia  a 
beautiful  vista  was  revealed  to  us,  framed  in  between  the  marble 
columns  which  separated  this  open-air  room  from  the  garden.   Be 
fore  us  in  the  midst  of  the  garden  v/as  a  large  number  of  cur 
friends,  whom  we  were  now  seeing  for  the  first  time.   Descending 
a  few  stone  steps  to  the  level  of  the 'garden  walk,  we  soon  found 
ourselves  being  most  heartily  welcomed  by  our  brothers  with  fer 
vent  hand- shakes  and  embraces.   We  were  all  gathered  on  a  large 
circular  marble  terrace  surrounding  a  fountain.   Darkness  had 
fallen,  and  to  give  light  lamps,  alternating  with  vases  of  flow 
ers,  had  been  placed  at  regular  intervals  around  the  edge  of  the 
lowest  and  largest  basin  of  the  fountain.   We  all  took  seats  on 
the  terrace  in  a  circle  facing  the  fountain.  A  prayer  of  thanks 
giving  was  chanted,  and  then  selections  were  read  from  some  of 
the  writings  of  Baha'o'llah.   Then,  in  turn,  we  were  asked  to 
tell  those  present  of  the  work  and  friends  in  the  countries 
visited,  all  of  which  was  translated  for  the  benefit  of  those 
who  did  not  understand  English,  while  one  bright  young  man  who 
had  mastered  English  made  an  address  of  welcome,  well  worded  and 
rich  in  the  spirit  of  fraternity. 

At  one  side  we  heard  the  simmering  of  a  samovar  and  saw  the 
glow  of  light  which  it  cast  upon  the  low  branches  of  a  neighbor 
ing  tree,  and  presently  little  cut  glass  cups  of  most  delicious 
Persian  tea  vere  served  to  each  one  present.  It  was  a  most  beauti 
ful  experience  from  the  aesthetic  and  material  point  of  view,  as 
well  as  from  the  spiritual.   Though  in  the  heart  of  Cairo,  it 
seemed  almost  like  the  country,  the  high  walls  and  the  trees  of 
the  garden  resulting  in  a  silent  seclusion;  but  most  beautiful 
and  harmonious  of  all  were  the  souls  in  that  circle.   Men  of  all 
ages,  and  from  many  countries,  to  which  their  various  garbs 
testified,  from  that  of  the  conventional  European  dress  to 
flowing  oriental  robes  of  many  colors.   Near  us  sat  several  men 
who  attracted  us  much.   They  were  students  from  the  great  Moslem 
University  of  El  Asshar  in  Cairo,  for  even  in  that  stronghold  of 
Islam  the  work  of  spiritual  world  resuscitation  is  going  on, 
though  unseen  except  by  a  few.  These  Bahais,  with  their  long  dark 
cloaks  and  white  turbans  were,  so  far  as  clothing  was  concerned, 
like  the  thousands  of  their  Moslem  fellow  students,  but  the 
light  in  their  faces  was  different,  because  the  reality  of  re 
ligion  had  rea.ched  their  hearts,  and  they  were  of  the  new  age  of 

67 


ABDUL  BAHA  WITH  SOME  YOUNG  MEN  ON 
MOUNT  CARMEL 


ABDUL  BAHA  AND  A  GROUP  OP  BAHAIS  AT  THE 
TOMB  OF  THE  BAB 


68 


spiritual  knowledge,  though  they  wore  the  theological  garb  of  the 
past.   They  were  striving  to  live  the  life  and  thereby  bring 
light  and  quickening  of  soul  to  nheir  people. 

•  ••        .  .  .        ••* 

The  meeting  being  over  our  host,  Hadji  Mirza  Hassan,  took  us 
through  several  rooms  in  his  house,  where  he  had  many  interest 
ing  Bahai  writings  in  manuscript  beautifully  illuminated.   The 
artist  scribes  of  the  Orient  do  rich  and  beautiful  work  of  this 
kind.   We  also  saw  photographs  of  some  of  the  Bahai  martyrs,  and 
other  subjects  of  like  interest  which  he  had  collected  from  va 
rious  sources,  all  of  which  were  of  great  interest  to  us  two  Amer 
icans,  for  in  the  West  we  have  but  few  such  treasures. 

Although  Egypt  was  in  a  state  of  war,  and  we  had  experienced 
some  difficulties  in  entering  the  country,  yet  once  in  the  land 
we  saw  and  heard  very  little  that  savored  of  war.   Being  advised 
of  a  scarcity  of  steamers  leaving  from  Port  Said  for  the  ports 
of  Syria,  we  engaged  passage  by  the  first  ship  sailing,  and 
after  a  stay  of  four  days  in  Cairo  we  left  for  Fort  Said. 

Almost  everyone  whom  we  had  met  while  in  Cairo  was  at  the 
train  to  see  us  off.   All  four  of  us,  two  Persians  and.  two  Amer 
icans,  had  a  compartment  to  ourselves,  and  before  the  train 
pulled  out  the  place  was  a  bower  of  flowers,  for  each  of  the 
many  friends  brought  flowers,  fruit,  or  sweets  as  parting  sou 
venirs,  while  one  arrived  followed  by  a  boy  bearing  a  tray  of 
iced  sherbets,  all  of  which,  considering  the  excessive  heat, 
added  much  to  our  comfort. 

The  people  in  the  station  and  on  board  the  train  eyed  us 
with  no  little  interest  on  account  of  the  mixture  of  people  of 
divers  races  and  religions  who  were  congregated  about  us,  for 
even  in  Egypt,  where  Europeans  have  lived  for  some  generations, 
there  is  no  real  affinity  and  brotherhood  between  orientall  and 
occidenxal,  whereas,  we  through  the  Bahai  Cause  were  here  sur 
rounded  by  kind  and  loving  brothers  of  foreign  races  in  a  time 
of  war  and  general  unrest. 

Because  of  the  threatened  unrest  of  the  country,  a  most 
strict  watch  was  being  kept  upon  all  Europeans  who  might  stir 
up  the  natives  against  the  British  government  of  occupation.   I 
was  prepared  to  have  the  military  authorities  ask  for  our  pass 
ports,  but  we  had  no  inconvenience,  though  two  of  the  officers 
kept  a  watch  upon  our  movements. 

•  ••        •»«        ••• 

A  run  of  three  hours  brought  us  to  Port  Said,  where  we  found 
another  group  of  friends  to  welcome  us  and  to  make  our  stay 

69 


there  of  three  days  pass  very  quickly.  Much  of  our  time  here  was 
spent  in  the  company  of  our  good  brother  Bahai,  the  Persian  Vice 
Consul,  Mirza  Ahmad  Yazdi,  whose  kind  services  to  the  travelling 
Bahais  has  made  him  friends  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 

On  accovmt  of  the  opposition  of  the  Moslems  bat  little,  if 
any,  direct  Bahai  teaching  is  being  done  in  Egypt;  nevertheless, 
the  light  of  the  Cause  will  out,  it  cannot  be  hidden. 

During  one  of  the  sojourns  of  Abdul  Baha  in  Port  Said,  some 
native  Arabs  were  attracted  to  him  and  became  so  enkindled  with 
the  spirit  of  the  CaiTse  that  they  soon  became  to  be  known  as 
Bahais.   Two  of  these  in  particular  became  the  target  of  a  Mos 
lem  attack.   A  party  of  infuriated  fanatical  Mohammedans  sur 
rounded  their  place  of  business,  demolished  their  windows,  and 
dragged  these  two  men  out  and  down  the  street,  pelting  them  with 
melon  rinds  and  other  filth  from  the  gutter.   Though  shaken  and 
bruised,  they  fortunately  sustained  no  serious  injuries,  while 
their  faith  and  fortitude,  upon  the  other  hand,  was  greatly  in 
creased. 

One  night  we  attended  a  meeting  where  we  met  these  two 
friends.   One  of  the  two  chanted  a  prayer  from  the  pen  of  Baha- 
'o'llah,  chanted  in  the  original  Arabic.   We,  of  course,  did  not 
understand  the  words,  but  the  man  put  so  much  feeling  and  fervor 
into  his  chant  that  we  were  not  long  in  catching  the  spirit  of 
the  prayer,  for  those  assembled  were  all  moved  and  swayed. 

People  have  often  asked  me  if  I  did  not  find  it  a  drawback 
in  travelling  in  the  East  to  be  unable  to  speak  the  oriental 
languages  and  to  be  dependent  upon  interpreters.   Where  the  tie 
of  union  is  very  strong,  a  very  few  words  can  express  much;  in 
fact,  at  timos  words  seem  almost  superfluous.   With  the  average 
oriental  his  religion  is  the  all-absorbing  thing  in  his  life, 
and  the  tie  of  faith  is  stronger  than  any  human  tie  of  blood. 
If  you  meet  him  on  the  ground  of  spiritual  realities  he  is  your 
brother  in  the  most  spiritual  sense  of  the  word,  ready  to  make 
any  sacrifice  for  you  and  to  do  you  any  service.   The  heart  of 
the  most  conventional  Westerner  soon  responds  to  this  spirit  of 
devotion  and  sincerity,  and  he  is  then  at  ease,  and  a  rapture  of 
soul  is  established,  and  more  or  less  intuitively  he  understands 
the  people  about  him  and  he  feels  with  them.   Under  these  condi 
tions,  though  the  words  may  be  spoken  through  an  interpreter, 
yet  the  spirit  of  the  conversation  is  unbroken  and  direct. 

•  •»        •••        «  *  • 

These  were  the  early  days  of  October.   At  that  time  Turkey 
had  not  yet  gone  into  the  war.   However,  her  relations  with 

70 


Egypt  were  becoming  strained.   Syria  being  under  Turkey,  our 
American  Consular  agent  in  Port  Said  was  disposed  to  try  to  dis 
suade  us  from  going  to  Haifa,  telling  us  that  the  possibility  of 
a  *'Holy  War'   had  been  reported,  and  in  that  case  there  might 
be  massacres  of  Christiana  in  those  parts.   Feeling  the  impossi 
bility  of  making  this  gentleman  understand  the  nature  of  our 
mission,  and  the  reasons  why  we  felt  perfectly  safe  in  going  in 
to  Turkish  domains,  we  did  not  attempt  to  argue  the  point,  and  he 
finally  arranged  our  papers  and  we  embarked  on  a  neutral  ship 
flying  the  Italian  flag  for  the  pert  of  Haifa. 

Sailing  .from  Port  Said  in  the  evening  we  dropped  anchor  the 
following  morning  outside  of  the  reef  of  Joppa,  the  port  where 
travellers  for  Jerusalem  disembark.   There  was  not  the  flotilla 
of  small  boats  which  almost  invariably  swarmed  here  from  the 
shore  and  surrounded  the  ship,  greeting  the  passing  vessels  and 
bringing  various  kinds  of  edibles  and  curios  to  tempt  the  trav 
eller,  and  crowded  with  rapacious  boatmen  who  try  to  inveigle 
one  into  going  ashore  to  see  the  few  sights  of  which  the  town 
boasts.   Presently  we  saw  coming  out  from  the  shore  and  through 
the  narrow  passage  in  the  reef  a  boat  flying  a  yellow  flag.   Our 
own  quarantine  flag  was  flying,  so  we  knew  we  were  in  for  a  dis 
infection,  for  before  sailing  we  had  heard  that  on  account  of 
reported  cases  of  plague  in  Egypt  a  Turkish  quarantine  was  im 
minent. 

We  cabin  passengers  were  not  put  to  any  inconvenience,  but 
the  'passengers  in  the  steerage  had  both  their  effects  and  their 
persons  disinfected,  as  well  as  having  imposed  upon  each  a  bill 
of  costs  for  the  same,  all  of  which  from  the  upper  deck  I  viewed 
sympathetically,  having  on  past  travels  twice  gone  through  with 
this  disagreeable  formality. 

Joppa  rises  picturesquely  from  the  water's  edge  on  a  promi 
nence  overlooking  the  sea.   Like  many  of  the  cities  of  the 
Levant  it  is  really  more  attractive  from  a  distance  than  when 
one  finds  oneself  within  its  narrow  streets  and  crowded  bazaars, 
although  the  newer  quarteis  of  the  city  are  well  laid  off  with 
broad  streets*  and  avenues  of  trees.   Prominent  from  the  sea  are 
several  church  towers  and  mosque  minarets.   The  chief  place  of 
biblical  interest  is  the  house  of  ** Simon  the  Tanner.''  We  could 
see  its  roof  from  the  ship's  deck. 

Off  to  tne  north  of  Joppa  stretches  the  rocky  arid  sandy 
plain  of  Sharon,  until  it  is  stopped  by  the  Carmel  range  of 
mountains,  which  come  down  from  the  interior,  ending  abruptly  at 
the  coast. 

71 


Early  in  the  afternoon  we  weighed  anchor  and  took  a  northerly 
course,  skirting  along  the  coast,  passing  within  sight  of  the 
remains  of  the  ancient  towns  of  Caesar ia  and  Athlit  before  we 
came  to  the  Garmel  range  and  promontory,  which  we  rounded  at 
about  sunset.   Instead  of  harboring  in  the  Bay  of  Haifa  in  the 
northern  lea  of  the  mountain,  our  steamer  crossed  the  bay  and 
dropped  anchor  off  the  fortress  town  of  Akka  about  nine  miles  to 
the  north  of  Haifa. 

Akka  is  the  mecca  of  the  Bahais.   In  her  prison  Baha'o'llah 
and  many  of  His  followers  were  confined  under  the  most  dreadful 
conditions,  and  within  her  walls  Abdul  Baha  was  an  exile  a.nd  a 
State  prisoner  for  forty  years.   Baha'o'llah  in  His  writings 
alludes  TO  Akka  as  ''The  Most  Great  Prison.''  It  is  a  well-known 
fact  that  under  the  ancient  regime  in  Turkey  some  of  the  Sul 
tan's  most  dreadful  political  opponents  were  sent  prisoners  to 
Akka  and  left  there,  forgotten  by  the  outside  world,  to  languish 
of  disease  arid  to  rot  in  her  dungeons,  where  the  sun's  light 
never  reached,  and  which  reeked  with  disease  and  filth.   Thus 
many,  inch  by  inch,  died  deaths  more  horrible  than  those  of 
their  less  unhappy  brethren  who  were  more  summarily  dispatched 
by  knife  or  by  the  poisoned  cup,  and  found  a  watery  resting 
place  in  a  weighted  sack  at  the  bottom  of  the  Bosphorus. 

Abdul  Baha  never  chafed  under  his  long  confinement  there,  as 
will,  be  seen  by  the  following  words  addressed  to  the  friends 
during  his  captivity: 

•'When  one  is  released  from  the  prison  of  the  self,  that  is 
indeed  a  release,  a  freedom.   It  is  very  easy  to  be  released 
from  this  material  outer  prison,  but  hard  and  difficult  to  be 
released  from  that  other  prison. 

Prom  this  prison  you  may  be  released  by  only  one  word  from 
the  Sul+an,  to  be  released  from  that  other  prison  is  very  diffi 
cult,  even  through  all  the  words  which  have  been  pronounced  by 
the  Prophets  of  God.   Prom  this  prison  you  may  be  released  by 
making  a  break  in  the  wall,  from  that  other  prison  it  is  very 
hard  to  find  a  way  of  escape.   Sometimes  you  become  so  weak  that 
you  are  unable  to  do  anything  by  which  to  make  a  way  out. 

This  prison  weakens  the  body,  but  that  other  prison  causes 
the  death  of  the  spirit.' 

In  present  times,  as  in  times  past,  the  greatest  light  has 
shone  out  from  the  most  dense  darkness.   It  is  quite  in  line 
with  the  history  of  the  religious  movements  of  all  ages  that 
this  great  spiritual  cause  of  modern  times  should  have  been  op- 

72 


posed  by  the  leaders  of  the  people  whom  it  strove  to  elevate  and 
free  from  superstition.   Thus  Baha'o'llah  in  order  to  alleviate 
the  world's  troubles  took  upon  himself  all  of  those  troubles 
which  he  sought  to  dispel. 

The  darkest  side  of  Turkish  despotism  has  been  alluded  to  by 
writers,  and  the  tombs  of  many  of  its  royal  victims  are  visible 
in  the  Turkish  mosques,  but  its  real  history  will  never  be  writ 
ten,  for  its  deeds  were  never  recorded  on  paper  or  parchment . 
They  were  branded  into  the  rouls  of  those  who,  through  torture 
and  unnatural  death,  left  uo  earthly  record  of  their  sufferings. 

There  we  rode  at  anchor  before  the  walls  of  Akka.   Only  a 
hundred  yards  or  more  away  arose  on  a  rock  surrounded  by  the  sea, 
the  ruins  of  a  once  stronghold  tower,  built  by  the  Crusaders, 
while  off  not  far  from  the  lands ide  fortifications  of  the  city 
now  crumbling  with  age  we  could  dimly  discern  the  outline  of  the 
low  hill  thrown  up  by  Napoleon,  upon  which  he  placed  his  cannon 
when  he  attempted  to  take  Akka  and  met  with  defeat.   Here  and 
there  lights  glimmered  through  openings  in  the  walls,  and  off  to 
the  left  the  bright  light  of  the  lighthouse  on  the  ramparts 
shone  clearly.   Above,  the  sky  was  clear.   Every  star  seemed 
visible,  and  in  a  short  time  the  moon  rose  in  all  her  glory 
above  the  mountains  beyond  the  plain  of  Akka,  bringing  into  re 
lief  the  great  white  dome  and  minarets  of  the  mosque  in  Akka 
and  the  richness  of  the  foliage  of  the  trees  along  the  shore, 
while  behind  us  in  the  light  stretched  a  long  band  of  surf  along 
the  shore  off  towards  the  Mount  of  Carmel  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  bay.   It  was  a  scer.e  the  beauty  of  which  will  always  re 
main  with  me . 

We  had  happily  made  interesting  acquaintances  on  board,  so 
in  addition  to  our  party  of  two  Americans  and  two  Persians  there 
were  others  with  us  to  enjoy  the  scene. 

One  of  these  was  a  young  man,  a  recently  appointed  instruc 
tor  in  one  of  the  mission  colleges  in  Syria.   He  was  just  gradu 
ated  from  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  before  leaving  America 
had  met  some  Bahais  in  his  college  town,  and  through  them  become 
filled  with  the  desire  to  visit  Abdul  Baha.   Understanding  that 
we  were  Americans  bound  for  Haifa,  he  asked  us  if  we  had  ever 
heard  of  Abdul  Baha,  whereupon  we  explained  to  him  our  connec 
tion  with  the  Cause. 

Our  two  Persian  comrades  discovered  a  friend  of  theire  on 
board,  a  young  Swiss  instructor  in  French  in  xhe  American  Univer 
sity  in  Beirut  who,  in  company  with  a  party  of  students  the  sea 
son  previous,  had  spent  some  days  on  Mount  Carmel  with  Abdul 
Baha. 

t 

73 


We  passed  a  memorable  evening  with  these  fellow-travellers, 
who  were  anxious  to  talk  of  the  Cause.   We  were  longing  and 
counting  the  hours  when  we  would  be  able  to  land  in  Haifa  and 
meet  our  beloved  teacher  and  friend.  Abdul  Baha. 


At  sunrise  the  following  morning  we  were  on  deck  as  our  ship 
dropped  anchor  off  Haifa.   We  had  no  difficulty  in  entering  the 
country.   Curiously  enough  our  luggage  was  not  opened,  nor  were 
passports  asked  for.   The  town  and  country  were  in  a  distressing 
state  of  war  panic.   The  banks  and  foreign  postoffices  were 
closed,  and  everywhere  the  first  stages  of  war  were  visible. 
The  army  was  gathering  in  the  interior,  and  men  and  munitions 
were  daily  being  sent  inland  to  the  scene  of  mobilization,  while 
the  government  had  commandeered  all  horses  and  vehicles,  and  had 
seized  vast  quantities  of  foodstuffs  and  needed  merchandise  from 
the  local  merchants  and  other  private  individuals.  •  Business  was 
at  a  standstill  and  the  panic  general. 

It  was  not  known  how  Turkey  was  going  to  side  in  the  war, 
but  of  the  fact  that  she  was  going  to  fight  every  one  felt  sure, 
and  the  army  was  preparing  for  action. 

Because  of  the  evidently  approaching  hostilities  there  had 
been  an  exodus  of  many  families  from  the  coast  cities,  and  these 
had  sought  refuge  in  the  interior.   On  landing  we  were  informed 
that  Abdul  Baha  had  just  returned  to  Haifa  from  the  little 
village  of  Abou-Sinan,  situated  at  some  little  distance  up  in 
the  mountains  back  of  Akka,  where  he  had  been  attending  to  the 
welfare  of  the  members  of  his  family  and  those  of  a  number  of 
other  Bahais,  some  fifty  or  sixty  people  in  all;  men,  women,  and 
children,  for  whose  accommodation  and  comfort  there  Abdul  Baha 
had  personally  arranged.   One  of  the  friends  explained  to  us  how 
several  houses  had  been  rented  in  this  town  in  the  hills,  then 
of  the  transport  of  furniture,  cooking  utensils,  and  other  lug 
gage  by  camel  pack  trains,  and  of  the  carriages  and  wagons  which 
finally  conveyed  the  people  thither. 

From  Haifa  we  could  see  beyond  the  plain  of  Akka  the  white 
houses  of  Abou  Sinan  off  in  the  hills,  and  though  we  did  not  go 
there  ourselves,  our  eyes  often  sought  the  spot  where  so  many  of 
our  people  were. 

Haifa,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Carmel,  is  a  town  which  owes  its 
present  prosperity  largely  to  the  religious  life  and  interests 
centered  there.   The  German  Temple  Colony  and  other  Protestant 
missions  from  the  West,  as  well  as  several  Catholic  monasteries 

74 


and  convents,  and  the  recently  constructed  Jewish  University, 
all  testify  ^o  the  fact  that  Garmel  is  the  land  of  spiritual 
promise  in  the  future  with  these  various  peoples,  as  well  as  of 
historical  religious  interests  of  the  past,  while  the  centering 
here,  upon  this  Mountain  of  God,  of  the  Bahai  Cause  is  in  real 
ity  the  fulfillment  of  the  ancient  prophecies  regarding  the  new 
era  of  soul  enlightenment  which  in  the  latter  days  were  to  il 
luminate  the  whole  world  from  this  Holy  Land  of  promise. 

Upon  landing  we  drove  to  the  hotel  of  the  German  Colony, 
where  we  settled  ourselves  for  a  stay  o'f  some  days  amid  simple 
but  clean  and  wholesome  surroundings.   That  same  afternoon  we 
went  to  the  home  of  Abdul  Baha  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  and 
there  had  our  first  meeting  with  our  much-beloved  teacher. 

He  received  us  simply  and  cordially  and  with  the  kindness 
and  affection  of  a  most,  loving  father.   We  were  moved  by  his 
tenderness  a?  he  inquired  into  some  of  the  details  of  our  trav 
els,  and  asked  regarding  the  welfare  of  his  friends  in  various 
countries. 

Everyone  is  at  ease  in  his  presence,  for  his  atmosphere  is 
one  of  sympathetic  understanding  and  love.   In  fact,  there  are 
few  persons,  if  any,  who  do  not  respond  to  the  spirit  of  Abdul 
Baha,  for  there  is  in  every  soul  that  closed  door  which  opens 
only  in  the  presence  of  true  love  and  friendship;  in  fact,  which 
cannot  remain  closed  in  the  face  of  him  whose  life  and  personal 
ity  have  beer,  sacrificed  in  the  Path  of  God,  and  who  has  the 
spiritual  message  of  Divine  Love  for  the  world. 

During  our  stay  of  two  weeks,  October  5  to  19,  in  Haifa, 
Abdul  Baha  spent  much  of  his  time  lodged  in  a  small  house  upon 
the  side  of  the  mountain  near  the  building  built  over  the  tomb 
of  the  Bab,  the  spot  where  are  deposited  the  remains  of  the 
forerunner  of  Baha'o'llah,  transferred  thither  by  the  friends 
from  Tabriz,  the  place  of  Kis  martyrdom  in  Persia. 

The  building  occupies  a  commanding  position  upon  a  terrace 
high  up  on  the  mountain  side.   From  the  garden  about  it  one  has 
an  extended  view  out  over  the  sea  and  across  the  bay,  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  which  is  Akka.   Like  a  bird  she  appears  to 
float  upon  the  water,  her  white  walls  and  towers  rising  directly 
out  of  the  sea,  while  behind  her  arise  the  mountains  of  the 
Phoenician  coast  range  stretching  off  to  the  north,  where  they 
join  the  greater  Lebanon  Mountains. 

With  the  deep  blue  of  the  sea  and  the  brilliant  coloring  of 
the  oriental  landscape  this  is  one  of  the  famous  and  most  beau- 

75 


ABDUL  BAHA  SEATED  WRITING  WITHIN  THE 
GATEWAY  OF  HIS  HOME  IN  HAIFA 


ABDUL  BAHA  WALKING  IN  HIS  GARDEN  IN  HAIFA 


76 


tiful  views  of  the  world,  particularly  when  seen  at  night  under 
the  mellow  light  of  the  moon  as  it  rises  over  the  mountains  off 
towards  the  east  beyond  the  plain  of  Akka,  high  up  in  a  valley 
of  which  is  Nazareth,  where  Jesus  lived. 

It  was  on  one  of  our  pilgrimages  up  the  mountain,  where  we 
went  to  the  little  house  near  the  tomb  to  call  on  Abdul  Baha 
that  he  addressed  us  as  follows: 

*'You  are  welcome.   You  are  well?  You  are  pleased  and  hap 
py?   How  do  you  find  the  landscape  and  view  from  here?   The 
scene  is  very  beautiful.   It  is  permeated  with  spirituality. 
This  is  a  unique  scene  in  all  Syria.   It  is  recorded  in  the  Old 
Testament  that  the  Lord  is  the  Excellency  of  Carmel,  and  Carmel 
means  the  Vineyard  of  God.   Practically  all  the  prophets  of 
Israel  have  visited  this  mountain.   Even  His  Holiness,  Jesus 
Christ,  has  been  here  several  times,  and  HOM?  the  remains  of  The 
Bab  are  resting  on  its  slope.   His  Holiness,  the  Blessed  Beauty 
(Baha'o'llah)  has  pitched  His  tent  on  various  spots  on  this 
mountain.   The  tent  of  Baha'o'llah  has  been  raised  on  this  Holy 
ground . ' ' 

After  a  silence  of  several  minutes,  during  which  Abdu]  Baha 
gazed  out  of  the  window,  a  silence  filled  with  deep  spiritual 
ity,  in  which  he  seemed  to  be  receiving  the  vibrations  from  all 
parts  of  the  world,  he  continued:  "'For  this  reason  these  places 
are  called  the  Holy  Land  arid  eulogies  and  praises  have  been  sung 
by  all  the  seers  and  prophets  of  the  past  concerning  these  sacred 
grounds . ' 

My  companion  remarked  upon  the  beauty  of  the  scene,  ard 
Abclul  Baha  replied: 

**0f  course  it  is  beautiful.   Garmel  is  a  derivative  of  two 
words,  Carm  and  El.   Carm  means  garden,  and  El  means  God.  There 
fore  it  is  the  Garden  of  God. 

The  Fragrances  of  the  Holy  Spirit  waft  from  this  spot.   If 
the  nostrils  are  open,  they  will  inhale  these  breaths.   This 
blessed  spot  is  fragrant.   Praise  ye  God  that  ye  have  reached 
this  place.   The  result  will  become  evident  in  the  future.'' 


At  the  time  of  which  I  write  we  two  Americans  were  the  only 
Western  Bahai  pilgrims  on  Carmel,  the  ' 'Mountain  of  God,'   as  it 
is  called,  but  in  addition  to  our  party  there  was  a  party  of 
some  fifteen  or  twenty  students  from  the  American  University  in 

77 


Beirut,  who  were  spending  their  Summer  vacation  on  the  mountain 
with  Abdul  Baha. 

I  have  lived  much  of  my  life  more  or  less  associated  with 
student  bodies,  but  never  before  had  I  been  so  privileged  as  to 
know  intimately  so  spiritually  "minded  a  group  of  young  men  as 
these.   They  were  fond  of  all  manner  of  humor  and  merriment,  and 
some  very  jolly  times  we  had  together,  but  through  all,  and 
above  all  stood  out  the  ideal  common  to  them  all,  that  of  pre 
paring  themselves  to  go  forth  in  the  Cause  as  servants  of  God  to 
teach  and  to  serve  His  people  in  order  that  more  spiritual  condi 
tions  might  exist  in  the  world. 

In  addressing  us  all  one  day  and  alluding  to  our  travels, 
Abdul  Baha  said: 

•'These  friends  have  brought  good  news  from  Germany.   When  I 
was  there  also  the  believers  were  pure  and  radiant,  and  they 
were  quite  sincere.   Their  spirit  was  inspiring.   When  one  looks 
into  their  faces  one  becomes  very  happy.   Even  the  children  were 
in  the  utmost  enthusiasm  and  happiness.   This  shone  forth  from 
their  faces.   I  went  to  Stuttgart  a  second  time,  returning  from 
Vienna  and  Budapest.   Their  souls  were  pure  and  sincere,  having 
no  ambitions  or  desires. 

All  places  in  the  world  will  ultimately  become  good.  Through 
the  Divine  Inspirations  of  the  Kingdom  of  Abha,  which  are  being 
spread,  every  place  will  become  good.   These"  rays  that  shine 
forth  from  the  Sun  of  Truth  upon  the  horizons  of  the  world  will 
reach  all  places.   What  we  have  to  do  is  to  carry  out  exactly 
the  teachings  of  the  Blessed  Beo.uty,  Baha'o'llah.   I  declare  by 
Him,  beside  whom  there  is  no  other  God,  that  if  we  follow  the 
teaching's  of  the  Blessed  Perfection,  Baha'o'llah,  in  a  very 
short  time  the  Cause  of  God  will  encompass  the  world,  provided 
we  follow  these  teachings,  exhortations,  and  divine  admonitions 
which  are  revealed,  so  that  our  actions  may  be  in  accordance  with 
them.   We  must  not  only  read,  but  every  one  of  us  must  bring  our 
actions  and  conduct  in  accord  with  these  teachings.   These 
teachings  are  revealed  for  this  purpose.   Success  and  prosperity 
are  an  impossibility  without  them.  Praise  be  to  God  that  we 
have  all  had  the  experience  of  this  course.   There  is  no  one 
among  us  who  has  not  had  this  experience.   All  of  us  have  had 
this  experience.   Apart  from  the  Sun  of  Beauty  there  is  no  suc 
cess  and  prosperity. 

The  Blessed  Beauty,  Baha'o'llah,  in  all  circumstances  has 
given  us  the  way  to  behave,  explained  the  mode  of  our  conduct 
and  behavior.  Let  us  meditate  over  the  calamities  and  hardships 

78 


of  the  Blessed  Beauty,  Baha'o'llah.  as  well  as  over  His  severance 
and  fortitude,  for  He  was  two  years  in  the  Kurdish  Mountains, 
living  solitary  and  alone  in  a  cave,  supplicating  all  night 
long.   The  Kurds  came  around  at  night  and  heard  His  voice,  but 
they  knew  not  who  this  Person  was.   Later  they  discovered  who  He 
was.  When  He  came  back  to  Bagdad  He  had  on  a  very  old  jacket, 
sleeveless,  and  made  of  coarse  fleece.   In  this  manner  He  en 
tered  our  house . ' * 

Then  addressing  the  believers  he,  Abdul  Baha,  continued: 

•'Consider  what  the  Hand  of  Divine  Power  has  accomplished. 
Where  were  we  and  where  were  these  Western  brothers  of  yours? 
Outwardly  there  is  no  physical  nor  material  relation  between  us, 
but  the  Divine  Confirmations  and  the  Heavenly  Powers  have  estab 
lished  this  ideal  communion  between  our  hearts.   Were  it  not  for 
this  Divine  Bestowal  our  gathering  in  this  sacred  spot  would 
have  been  impossible.   The  Celestial  Grace  binds  the  hearts  of 
men  and  cements  together  their  souls  forever  and  ever.  * ' 


One  afternoon  a  party  of  people  from  Haifa  called  on  Abdul 
Baha,  and  after  they  left  he  summoned  us  all  out  on  the  garden 
terrace  for  tea  and  fruit.  When  we  were  all  seated  he  said: 

•'These  people  who  called  on  us  today  were  in  a  state  of 
fright.   They  are  expecting  daily  the  bombardment  of  Haifa  by 
the  foreign  warships.   No  sooner  did  they  see  a  little  moving 
speck  in  the  horizon  of  the  sea  than  they  looked  through  their 
glasses,  anxiously  scanning  to  behold  whether  these  are  the  ex 
pected  cruisers.   Their  hearts  are  in  a  state  of  anxiety.   They 
are  terror-stricken.  They  have  no  peace  of  mind.   This  is  one  of 
the  signs  of  the  absence  of  faith.   It  is  stated  in  the  Koran: 
'They  imagine  every  cry  raised  is  an  enemy  unto  them.'   For  ex 
ample,  when  a  thief  enters  a  house  the  least  noise  causes  his 
flight.   He  trembles  and  quakes,  but  the  hearts  of  the  people  of 
faith  are  assured.   If  they  are  surrounded  by  a  thousand  ene 
mies,  they  stand  firm  on  their  ground.   The  greatest  Divine 
Bounty  is  a  confident  heart.   When  the  heart  is  confident,  all 
the  trials  of  the  world  will  be  as  child's -play.   Should  they 
throw  one  into  prison,  should  they  cast  him  into  a  black  well, 
should  they  heap  upon  him  all  manner  of  affliction,  still  his 
heart  is  content,  peaceful,  and  assured.' 

At  another  time,  speaking  of  the  war,  he  said: 

''This  Cause  has  hoisted  the  banner  of  the  unity  of  the 
world  of  humanity.   One  of  the  instruments  which  will  bring 

79 


about  universal  peace  is  this  very  wa.r,  so  that  all  the  people 
might  be  disgusted  with  this  confusion  of  the  war,  and  that  all 
the  world  of  humanity  might  be  inclined  toward  peace.   A  German 
lady  living  in  Haifa,  whose  son  has  gone  to  the  war,  was  asked: 
"What  news  do  you  have  of  your  son?'   She  replied:  'No  news, 
but  I  have  one  son  for  whom  I  would  not  take  the  whole  of 
Prance,  but  now  he  is  on  the  battlefield,  and  if  he  is  killed 
all  France  would  not  compensate  me.'   She  is  greatly  distressed. 
Surely  all  the  hearts  will  be  disgusted  with  this  war.* 


Near  the  tomb  of  The  Bab  on  the  Mountain  is  the  '*Mozafer 
Khaneh, ' '  or  traveller's  house.  This  building,  as  a  tablet  over 
the  door  testifies,  was  built  by  a  Russian,  a  friend  of  the 
Cause,  in  order  to  provide  shelter  and  lodging  for  the  pilgrims 
who  from  all  parts  of  the  world  visit  this  eacred  spot.   At  the 
Mozafer  Khaneh  lived  several  Bahais,  who  are  there  to  entertain 
and  serve  those  who  pass.   There  daily  we  met  and  talked  with 
Hadji  Mirza  Hyder  Al-;  ,  the  aged  Bahai  teacher,  who  on  account  of 
his  faith  was  cast  into  prison  under  the  old  regime  in  Egypt,  and 
was  sent  in  exile  to  Khartoum,  where  he  remained  for  twelve  years 
until  the  English,  under  Gordon,  took  the  city,  and  thus  he  be 
came  free,   Hadji  Mirza  Hyder  Ali  was  then  able  to  go  to  Akka 
and  there  continue  his  active  work  in  the  Movement. 

Daily  we  would  stop  at  the  Pilgrim's  House  for  a  visit  with 
these  friends,  and  Hadji  would  usually  entertain  us  with  anec 
dotes  of  the  Cause  in  the  early  days  when  there  was  so  much 
persecution  that  the  followers  were  constantly  in  the  greatest 
danger,  so  that  most  of  the  teaching  had  to  be  done  privately 
and  secretly. 

In  the  late  afternoon  Abdul  Baha  usually  summoned  all  of  us 
for  tea,  which  was  served  in  the  oriental  style  from  a  samovar 
in  small  glass  cups  and  saucers  with  sugar  only.   Upon  these  oc 
casions  he  invariably  gave  us  a  short  talk,  the  substance  of  sev 
eral  of  which  I  am  incorporating  in  this  narrative.   Then  later 
en  we  would  all  follow  him  into  the  interior  of  the  tomb,  and 
stand  respectfully  while  he  chanted  a  prayer.   Then  e,fter  a  fev 
moments  of  silence  we  would  withdraw,  one  by  one,  to  the  terrace 
without,  there  to  enjoy  the  view  in  the  fading  sunlight. 


The  Bahai s  in  various  parts  had  intrusted  to  us  many  ques 
tions  to  be  asked  of  Abdul  Baha,  which  were  mostly  of  a  personal 
nature,  but  among  these  was  one  of  general  interest,  which  my 

80 


American  comrade  one  day  presented.   It  was  regarding  the  inter 
pretation  of  verse  fourteen  from  the  '* Hidden  Words '*  from  the 
Arabic  by  Baha'o'llah: 

'•0,  Son  of  Spirit!   I  have  created  thee  rich;  why  dost  thou 
make  thyself  poor?  Noble  have  I  made  thee;  why  dost  thou  de 
grade  thyself?   Of  the  essence  of  Knowledge  have  I  manifested 
thee;  why  searcnest  thovi  for  another  than  Me?   From  the  clay 
of  Love  have  I  kneaded  thee;  why  seekest  thou  another?   Turn  thy 
sight  unto  thyself,  that  thou  mayst  find  Me  standing  within  thee, 
Powerful ,  Mighty,  and  Supreme  .  ' ' 

Abdul  Baha's  reply  was: 

''There  are  two  kinds  of  'standing  within.'   The  first  is 
like  the  standing,  or  containing  of  water  within  an  earthen 
bowl.   This  is  false  assumption,  because  it  is  a  body  contained 
•within  a  body.   This  is  not  a  correct  theory,  because  the  real 
ity  of  Divinity  is  not  a  body,  such  as  water. 

But  there  is  a  second  theory  which  is  correct,  and  that  is 
the  appearance  (standing  within)  of  the  Sun  in  a  clear  mirror. 
Therefore,  the  meaning  of  this  verse  is  this:  'Purify  thy  heart 
that  it  may  become  like  unto  a  transparent  mirror. '   Then  thou 
shalt  find  Me  'standing  within'  thee,  Powerful,  Mighty,  and  Su 
preme.   If  you  interpret  this  verse  according  to  the  above  ex 
planation,  it  will  be  correct,  because  the  Sun  has  not  left  its 
transcendent  station  in  order  to  find  an  entrance  into  the  miv- 
ror,  but  it  is  ever  stationed  in  its  center  of  grandeur  and  per 
petuity.   While,  on  the  other  hand,  the  mirror  having  been  pol 
ished,  reflects  the  rays  of  the  Sun. ' ' 

During  our  visit  on  Carmel  a  calamity  befell  the  household  of 
Abdul  Bciha  in  the  sudden  death  of  the  faithful  and  trusted  ser 
vant  Bashir,  whose  memory  is  cherished  by  the  many  visiting 
friends  from  all  parts . 

On  the  following  Sunday  afternoon  Abdul  Raha  called  the 
friends  together  for  a  memorial  service.   A  prayer  was  chanted, 
and  Abdul  Baha  spoke  as  follows : 

''This  calamitous  death  of  Bashir  was  a  sudden,  unexpected 
misfortune.   Therein  lies  a  good  wisdom.   It  will  appear  later 
on.   From  the  early  years  of  his  youth  he  was  brought  into  the 
services  of  our  household.   When  he  was  a  very  young  boy,  he  had 
a  most  happy  disposition,  which  followed  him  up  to  the  last  hour 
of  his  life.   Every  one  loved  him,  both  friends  and  strangers. 
Once  he  fell  from  the  high  roof  of  our  house  in  Akka,  but  no 

81 


harm  came  to  him.   No  sooner  had  he  struck  the  ground  than  he 
got  up  and  walked  away.   It  is  most  strange  how  at  times  fate 
overtakes  a  man.   Truly  I  say  he  was  a  dutiful  young  man  and  his 
passing  away  from  this  life  was  surrounded  with  happy  and  aus 
picious  signs. 

The  length  or  shortness  of  life  is  not  considered  important, 
whether  a  man  lives  a  few  years  or  a  hundred  years.   The  purpose 
of  his  life  is  to  achieve  some  definite  results.   If  the  tree  of 
his  life  does  not  yield  those  luscious  fruits,  the  purpose  of 
his  existence  has  not  been  accomplished,  even  if  he  has  lived 
many  years,  but  if  he  has  lived  only  a  few  years  and  the  tree  of 
his  life  has  attained  to  fruition  he  has  obtained  spiritual 
success.   Consequently,  the  duration  of  life  is  a  conditional 
matter,  subject  to  the  will  of  God.   For  example,  this  stone  has 
existed  two  thousand,  twenty  thousand  years,  but  it  has  not  ad 
vanced  beyond  the  mineral  kingdom.   It  has  not  yet  achieved  its 
final  result .  Again,  a  merchant  goes  to  his  office  every  day  in 
the  year.   He  plans  commercial  enterprises,  undertakes  vast 
schemes,  organizes  large  companies,  but  at  the  end  of  the  year  he 
has  not  gained  any  profit.   On  the  other  hand  another  merchant, 
through  one  stroke  of  good  fortune  gains  large  profits  in  one 
day.   The  former  merchant,  although  he  worked  hard  all  through 
the  year  did  not  achieve  any  success,  while  the  latter,  although 
he  worked  only  one  day,  yet  the  outcome  of  his  activity  was 
prosperous. 

Now,  praise  be  to  God,  that  Bashir  obtained  the  most  great 
result  from  his  blessed  life.   When  I  visited  him  the  other 
night,  I  found  him  in  a  semiconscious  condition.   He  opened  his 
eyes,  looked  into  my  face  and  said:  *  Allah' o'Abha! '  and  I  an 
swered  him  back  *  Allah'  o '  Abha !'   In  brief ,  God  doeth  whatsoever  He 
willeth,  and  commandeth  whatsoever  He  desireth.   No  one  can  in 
quire  into  the  wisdom  of  His  actions. 

What  a  happy  youth  he  was.   How  good-natured  he  was.   What  a 
sweet  temper  he  had.   What  a  simple  disposition  he  displayed. 
What  a  lovable  character  he  possessed.   What  a  firm  faith  he 
manifested.   His  manners  conveyed  courtesy  and  politeness  to 
everyone.   He  was  kind  to  all.   He  served  all  the  friends  irre 
spective  of  their  station  in  life.   He  was  never  cross.   Often  I 
punished  him,  but  my  punishment. a  never  made  him  sad  or  unhappy. 
Once  I  did  beat  him,  but  he  did  not  become  disconsolate,  because 
my  aim  was  to  educate  and  train  him.   Most  wonderful!   The  more 
I  punished  him,  the  greater  became  his  love.   On  the  other  hand, 
there  are  some  people,  that  if  I  should  welcome  them  with  a  tardy 
'Marhaba'  they  would  become  offended,  but  Bashir  was  just  the  oppo 
site  from  this.   .Whenever  I  chastised  him,  he  became  happy.   Firia- 

82 


ness  and  steadfastness  became  manifest  under  these  conditions.  For 
the  right  kind  of  correction  leads  to  improvement  of  human  char 
acter.  '  ' 


On  the  following  day  we  two  Americans  took  a  walk  up  to  the 
Carmelite  .Monastery  of  ''Mar  Elias'   on  the  promontory  of  Mount 
Carmel.   There  below  the  high  altar  of  the  chapel  is  the  rock 
cave  where  the  prophet  Elias  lived.   It  is  a  spot  venerated 
alike  by  Christian,  Jew,  and  Moslem. 

On  the  way  thither  we  could  look  down  into  the  little  Bahai 
cemetery  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  where  repose  the  mortal 
remains  of  a  number  of  the  faithful  servants  of  the  Cause. 

In  view,  just  across  the  bay,  was  the  fortress  where  Baha- 
'o'llah,  Abdul  Baha,  and  so  many  of  the  followers  were  confined, 
while  some  houses,  partially  hidden  by  trees  on  the  plain  at  a 
little  distance  from  the  city,  was  named  Behji,  where  Baha- 
'  o  *llah  spent  much  time  during  the  latter  years  of  His  Mission, 
where  He  died,  and  where  His  tomb  now  is. 

On  account  of  conditions  we  were  not  able  to  visit  either 
Akka  or  Behji,  but  we  did  not  feel  any  privation,  for  we  were 
with  Abdul  Baha.  who  is  the  living  exponent  of  the  spirit  of 
Baha'o'llah. 

In  one  of  his  afternoon  talks  Abdul  Baha  spoke  of  the  Com 
mittee  of  Investigation  sent  from  Constantinople  by  the  old  des 
potic  government  under  Sultan  Abdul  Hamid  to  raake  away  with  him 
and  to  destroy  the  Cause.   His  words  seemed  prompted  by  the  en 
trance  of  his  son- in-low,  Mirza  Hadi  Effendi,  who  was  just  from 
Akka  and  Abou  Sinan.   Looking  at  him  he  asked: 

••How  are  the  friends?   Are  they  well?'' 

•*I  strive  always  to  be  the  means  of  the  tranquillity  and 
composure  of  the  friends.   Man  must  ever  try  to  be  the  cause  of 
the  happiness  and  security  of  his  fellow-beings.   At  the  time  of 
the  arrival  of  the  Investigation  Committee  all  the  means  of  com 
munication  were  closed.   Spies  were  stationed  all  around,  calum 
nies  and  falsehoods  were  hurled  broadcast,  and  the  enemies,  both 
in  Akka  and  in  other  places,  were  united  against  us,  drawing  up 
a  number  of  false  reports  and  sending  them  to  the  authorities  in 
Constantinople  to  instigate  them  and  arouse  their  suspicion  so 
that  they  might  make  more  close  our  confinement.   It  is  evident 
from  these  remarks  how  difficult  it  was  to  attend  to  anything. 
One  of  their  accusations  was  that  I  was  trying  to  lay  the  foun- 

83 


ABDUL  BAHA  WITH  SOME  OF  HIS  ORIENTAL 
FRIENDS  AT  HIS  HOME  IN  HAIFA 


'fm 

&  r^ 


ABDUL  BAHA  WALKING  ON  THE  TERRACE  BEFORE 

THE  TOMB  OF  THE  BAB— THE  PROMONTORY  OF 

MOUNT  CARMEL  IS  IN  THE  DISTANCE 


84 


dation  of  a  new  sovereignty.   Another  was  that  I  had  built  a 
fortress  on  the  slope  of  Mount.  Carmel  which  would  have  a  command 
ing  situation  of  the  vicinity.  Again,  another  thing  was  that  I 
had  made  a  new  flag  to  lead  my  increasing  army  into  the  active 
field,  that  I  had  shown  this  flag  to  the  inhabitants  of  Akka,  and 
through  Mirza  Zekrollah  I  had  sent  this  flag  through  the  sur 
rounding  cities,  and  throngh  Sheik  Mahmoud  I  had  forwarded  it  to 
the  Arabian  tribes  and  Bedouins  in  the  interior,  demanding  their 
allegiance  and  obedience.   With  the  assistance  of  the  Nakazeen# 
all  these  reports  were  concocted  and  sent  to  the  Sublime  Porte, 
Mirza  Mohammed  Ali##took  a  large  piece  of  white  cloth  and  had 
written  on  it  the  words  'Ya  Baha  El  Abha,  '  telling  them  that 
this  was  the  flag  that  I  had  made,  and.  delivered  it  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemies  that  it  might  be  forwarded  to  Constanti 
nople.   The  president  of  this  Committee,  who  was  promised  the  Gov 
ernorship  of  Beirut,  at  the  time  declared  that  the  first  thing 
that  he  would  do  would  be  to  cut  me  into  two  pieces  and  hang  me 
on  the  gate  of  Akka  as  a  warning  to  others . 

In  short,  my  aim  was  this,  that  during  these  stirring  days. I 
sent  away  seventy  of  the  believers  to  Egypt,  Russia,  and  various 
parts. 

Among  those  persons  whom  I  sent  away  was  this  Mirza  Assad- 
"o*llah#  and  his  wife.   At  that  time  I  provided  sufficient  and 
adequate  travelling  expenses  for  everyone.   I  borrowed  the  money 
from  an  American  who  lived  in  Paris.   In  short,  I  offered  myself 
for  a  target  for  every  calamity  and  affliction.   Then  a  steamer 
arrived  in  the  Bay  of  Akka  to  take  me  away  secretly.   The  person 
through  whom  this  was  arranged  is  now  living  here.   When  this 
matter  was  arranged,  I  called  in  Seyed  Ali  Akbar,  Aga  Seyed 
Yahya,  Mirza  Assad'o'llah,  Aga  Riaa,  Mirza  Mahmoud,  and  Mirza  Hay  - 
der  Ali,##  and  told  them  that  everything  was  prepared  for  my  de 
parture,  that  a  steamer  was  in  the  port  to  take  me  away,  that  I 
should  be  let  down  from  the  wall  of  the  fortress  by  a  rope,  ride 
rapidly  in  a  carriage,  climb  into  a  boat,  and  board  the  ship. 
Now  you  consult  about  this  matter  and  see  whether  I  should  go  or 
not.   This  group  deliberated  and  finally  decided  that  I  should 
go.   They  came  to  me  and  said:  'This  is  very  good.   This  is  an 
excellent  plan.   Please  go  away  ana  leave  this  present  condi 
tion.   We  have  unanimously  decided  upon  this  matte  •. ' 


#Those  who  deny  and  oppose  the  Cause. 

##  One  of  the  deniers  who  opposes  the  Cause. 

#  A  Persian. 

##  Names  of  some  Bahais. 

86 


Then  I  told  them  I  would  not  go.   Baha'o'llah.  did  not  leave. 
The  Bab  did  not  leave,  and  I  shall  not  leave.   It  is  not  good 
for  the  Cause  of  aod.   The  well-being  of  the  Cause  of  God  de 
mands  my  presence  here.   Then  other  events  followed  each  other, 
and  the  members  of  the  Investigation  Committee  left  these  parts. 
Before  they  reached  Constantinople  the  Cannon  of  God  boomed 
forth  and.  the  voice  of  freedom  was  raised,  aud  the  Committee  of 
Union  and  Progress  established  a  constitutional  regime  in  Turkey. 

The  four  members  of  the  Committee  all  came  to  dire  endings. 
One  of  them  was  shot  with  three  bullets,  the  second  was  exiled, 
the  third  met  a  cruel  end,  and  the  fourth  ran  away  to  Egypt  and 
went  to  the  friends,  asking  for  financial  assistance,  which  he 
received.   Before  that  his  servant  robbed  hiiL  of  all  his  posses 
sions  and  he  did  not  have  enough  money  to  go  from  Cairo  to  Alex 
andria.   When  the  friends  of  Egypt  wrote  to  me  about  his  plight, 
I  answered  them  back  to  give  him  ten  pounds,  but  they  could  not 
find  him  for  he  had  disappeared.   The  upshot  of  these  remarks  is 
this,  that  man  must  ever  think  of  the  protection  of  others  and 
not  of  himself.  *  * 

Shortly  before  the  end  of  our  visit  the  night  came  for  the 
party  of  students  to  leave  for  the  opening  of  their  university 
work  in  Beirut. 

Coming  to  them  in  the  late  afternoon,  Abdul  Baha  said: 

*'I  have  heard  that  you  are  leaving  today.   Then  I  said  to 
rayself,  I  shall  go  to  them  to  express  my  farewell.   Praise  be  to 
God  thftt  you  have  spent  a  delightful  Summer  on  the  slope  of  Mount 
Carmel.   The  weather  was  bracing.   The  scenery  was  superb.   The 
garden  was  beautiful .   The  flowers  were  fragrant.   The  country 
was  verdant.   You  enjoyed  the  possession  of  such  large  airy 
rooms,  whose  windows  opened  out  on  the  blue  sea.   You  were  liv 
ing  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Holy  Tomb  of  the  Bab.   Prom  every 
standpoint  God's  blessings  were  complete.   I  hope  that  you  have 
enjoyed  exceedingly  your  sojourn  in  this  sacred  spot. 

Now  you  are  leaving  for  the  college.   Praise  be  to  God  that 
the  Bahai  students  in  Beirut  are  well  known  for  the  beauty  of 
their  character,  the  purity  of  their  deeds,  and  *h^  loftiness  of 
their  morality.   Prom  whomsoever  one  inquires  about  the  Bahai 
students  they  will  receive  unstinted  praise.  This  is  through  the 
Favors  and  Bounties  of  the  Blessed  Beauty  who  has  assisted  you 
to  attain  such  a  high  station.   For  you  have  lived  in  such  a 
manner,  which  has  become  conducive  to  the  glorification  of  the 
Cause  of  God.   Baha'o'llah  is  pleased  with  you.   All  of  the  peo 
ple  are  pleased  with  you.   I  an  pleased  with  you,  and  the 

86 


friends  of  God  are  pleased  with  you.   This  is  the  special  Divine 
Bounty  which  is  realized  at  rare  intervals.   If  one  asks  any 
person  concerning  the  Bahai  students,  he  will  answer,  in  reality 
they  are  intelligent,  sober,  industrious,  dilligent,  displaying 
good  manners  and  behavior,  and  concentrating  all  their  attention 
on  the  acquirement  of  knowledge.   They  do  not  at  all  spend  their 
time  in  frivolous  amusements  and  distracting  recreations.   Even 
the  enemies  testify  to  your  spotless  character.   I  hope  that 
through  the  Favor  and  Bounty  of  the  Blessed  Beauty,  His  Holi 
ness,  The  Bab,  and  the  ineffable  blessings  which  hallow  this 
Holy  Shrine,  the  confirmations  of  the  Kingdom  of  Abha  may  encir 
cle  you,  and  that  you  may  be  characterized  with  the  shining 
qualities  and  brilliant  attributes  of  the  Bahai  life.   Day  by  day 
may  your  morality  become  more  refined.   May,  day  by  day,  your 
faJth  and  assurance  be  increased.   May,  day  by  day,  ycur  attrac 
tion  toward  the  Kingdom  be  intensified.   May,  day  by  day,  your 
grasp  and  attainment  in  sciences  and  arts  become  more  universal. 
Perchance,  God  willing,  ycu  may  become  perfect  and  accomplished 
from  every  standpoint  and  be  the  means  of  the  enlightenment  of 
Persia.   The  horizon  of  the  general  morality  is  very  dark;  per- 
adventure ,  through  your  instrumentality,  the  people  may  be 
brought  back  into  the  realm  of  light,  and  that  each  one  of  you 
may  become  like  a  shining  candle  in  the  lamp  of  Persia.   It  has 
been  said  that  often  one  soul  is  equal  to  a  thousand  persons.   God 
willing,  each  one  of  you  may  become  like  unto  a  hundred  thousand 
souls.   This  is  not  impossible  of  realisation,  for  the  Bounties 
and  Favors  of  God  are  unlimited.  Do  not  be  astonished  at  this, 
neither  be  ye  ever  discouraged.  When  His  Grace  descends,  the  ant 
is  changed  into  a  mighty  king,  the  plant  grows  into  a  huge  tree, 
the  grain  of  sand  into  a  lofty  mountain,  the  atom  becomes  a  sun. 
When  we  consider  the  Favor  and  Bounty  of  God  we  realize  that 
all  these  things  are  made  possible.   You  must  not  regard  ycur  own 
limited  capabilities,  but  tarn  your  eyes  toward  the  unlimited 
Fountain  of  Divine  Grace.   He  makes  the  shepherd,  Abouzer  Gaf- 
fary;  the  date -seller,  Amanar  Basscl;  the  oaptive,  Salman; 
(these  persons  were  of  poor  origin  like  the  disciples  of  Christ, 
but  became  famous  in  the  Islamic  world  because  they  believed  in 
Mohammed  during  His  life)  the  fisherman,  Peter.   In  brief,  there 
are  many  such  instances  in  the  religious  history  of  the  world 
which  are  accounted  the  miracles  of  each  dispensation.   These 
things  do  not  happen  at  the  other  periods  of  huinar,  history.  They 
are  the  special  privileges  of  the  early  days  of  the  Manifesta 
tion.   For  this  reason  Baha'o'llah  says  in  the  Kitab  el  Akdas : 
•I  shall  cause  the  highest  to  become  the  lowest,  and  the  lowest 
to  become  the  highest.'   Tt  is  also  revealed  in  the  Koran:  'We 
desire  to  surround  with  a  special  privilege  those  who  are  weak 
and  lowly  upon  the  earth.   We  shall  make  them  a  nation  and  the 
inheritors  of  great  things.' 

87 


Praise  be  to  God  that  from  the  tender  years  of  your  life  you 
have  entered  the  Shade  of  the  Divine  Tree  and  are  intoxicated 
with  the  choice  wine  from  the  Divine  Goblet.   I  trust  and  hope 
that  each  one  of  you  will  rise  higher  and  higher  until  yen  at 
tain  to  the  apex  of  human  and  divine  perfections.'* 

Speaking  about  the  Persian  Bahai  students  in  Beirut  and  the 
confidence  of  the  president  of  the  college  in  them,  Abdul  Baha 
said: 

•'He  trusts  them.   Confidence  is  the  cornerstone  of  all  of 
life's  activities.'' 


Then  Abdul  Baha  left  the  young  men,  but  a  few  hours  later, 
when  they  were  ready  to  leave  for  the  harbor  where  their  steamer 
was  lying  at  anchor,  he  came  to  them  again  for  a  final  parting 
word. 

Night  had  fallen  as  he  came  out  of  the  little  house  near  the 
tomb  and  down  to  where  the  group  was  gathered,  saying: 

' 'May  you  ever  be  under  the  protection  and  preservation  of 
God.   May  yoxi  ever  be  confirmed  and  assisted.   I  will  always 
remember  you  and  beg  for  each  one  of  you  heavenly  Grace  and 
Divine  Beatitude.   Rest  ye  assured,  for  ye  are  ever  under  the 
canopy  of  Celestial  Virtues.   God  willing,  the  fame  of  your 
sterling  characters,  your  spiritual  qualities,  and  selfless 
deeds  may  be  spread  more  widely  than  formerly.   Give  my  greet 
ings  and  salutation  to  the  president  and  those  professors  whom  I 
have  met.   Tell  them  I  shall  pray  for  them  and  am  very  pleased 
with  their  attitude  and  courtesy  toward  you. ' " 

I  will  always  recall  Abdul  Baha  as  he  left  them  with  this 
parting  benediction.   He  walked  up  the  hill  and  disappeared  be 
hind  a  clump  of  trees  and  shrubs  in  front  of  the  house,  his  gar 
ments  swaying  in  the  wind,  a  solitary  figure,  silhouetted 
against  the  light  of  the  rising  moon.   It  was  indeed  a  never-to- 
be-forgotten  picture  of  him  who  summons  all  men  to  love,  harmony, 
and  peace ! 

•  *•        •••        ••• 

It  was  with  much  feeling  we  bade  adieu  to  our  young  friends 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  particularly  to  our  Persian  travel 
ling  companion,  Mirza  Azizollah  Bahadur,  who  through  kindness 
and  devotion  had  proven  himself  a  real  friend,  and  whom  we  had 
grown  to  love  devotedly.   Having  finished  his  studies,  our  other 
Persian  fellow  pilgrim,  Dr.  Habibollah,  was  remaining  on  indefi- 

88 


nitely  in  Haifa,  awaiting  the  advice  of  AMul  Baha  regarding  his 
next  mission. 

In  Haifa  and  Akka,  where  the  center  of  the  Bahai  Cause  is, 
there  is  b;:t  little  for  the  ardent  Bahai  to  do  in  service  for 
the  Cause.   There  Abdul  Baha  himself  is  carrying  the  burden  of 
affairs,  anu  to  him  from  time  to  time  the  various  friends  go  for 
inspiration  and  for  enlightenment,  then  going  forth  to  their 
various  fields  in  distant  lands  charged  with  a  new  power,  and 
more  zealous  than  ever  to  serve  in  the  Cause. 

Curiously  enough,  one  often  does  not  care  to  remain  on  in 
definitely  in  the  presence  of  Abdul  Baha,  for  when  the  soul  is 
filled  and  overflowing  with  that  spirit  which  he  so  freely  radi 
ates,  one's  desire  seems  to  be  to  go  forth  and  to  share  this  gift 
with  others. 

Such  was  our  experience  when  Abdul  Baha  called  us  to  him  and 
told  us  that  he  wished  us  to  go  forth  again  into  the  field.   Our 
hearts  were  overflowing  with  the  love  of  the  Kingdom,  and  human 
and  weak  creatures  that  we  were,  our  greatest  joy  lay  in  the 
thought  of  taking  this  joy  forth  and  sharing  it  with  others . 

Calling  us  two  Americans  to  him,  Abdul  Baha  said: 

•'You  have  undertaken  much  trouble  in  coming  here.   You  must 
be  very  rejoiced  because  you  have  come  to  this  sacred  spot  and 
worshipped  at  the  Holy  Torab  of  the  Bab.   For  many  days  you 
have  associated  with  me,  and  I  have  enjoyed  your  visit,  and  I  hope 
that  good  results  will  issue  therefrom.   Today,  whosoever  is  a 
herald  of  the  Covenant  is  the  light  of  the  regions.   In  the  Su 
preme  Concourse  the  heavenly  cohorts  of  the  Kingdom  of  Abha  are 
arrayed,  expecting  to  see  who  will  enter  the  arena  of  service  to 
the  Covenant.   Thus  they  may  rush  forward  to  reinforce,  to 
strengthen,  and  to  confer  upon  him  triumph.   In  brief,  be  ye 
overflowing  with  joy,  be  ye  overflowing  with  happiness,  fur  ye 
are  the  objects  of  the  Favor  of  the  Blessed  Beauty.   Be  ye  full 
cf  clamor  and  exclamation  like  unto  a  cup  which  is  overflowing 
to  the  brim. 

The  Heavenly  music  is  heart  ravishing.   That  melody  pene 
trated  the  heart  of  man.   That  clarion  bestows  on  man  spiritual 
ity  and  joy.   That  music  awakens  man  out  of  the  sleep  of  negli 
gence,  but  the  majority  of  mankind  are  not  endowed  with  ears  to 
listen  to  t.uat  joy-giving  melody  because  their  ears  are  accus 
tomed  to  discord.  They  are  not  attuned  to  the  celestial  strains 
and  divine  ^a.-ys. 

89 


Perchairje  God  will  enable  you  to  suffer  the  people  to  hear 
the  Divine  Song  and  the  Heavenly  Music.   The-  church-bell  ;r.usic 
is  the  result  of  metallic  elements,  but  the  notes  which  emanate 
from  the  throat  of  a  living  temple  of  holiness  stir  the  hearts 
and  the  souls. 

Truly  I  say,  I  am  well  satisfied  with  both  of  you,  for  you 
have  consecrated  your  lives  to  the  Cause  of  God;  you  have  no 
other  aim  save  calling  the  people  to  the  Kingdom  of  God;  your 
hearts  are  empty;  they  are  not  preoccupied  nor  engaged  with 
other  immaterial  affairs.   Praise  be  to  God  that  your  minds  are 
sanctified  and  holy.   I  am  sure  you  will  be  confirmed  and  as 
sisted  in  all  things.   There  are  many  heralds  in  this  world. 
Here  is  a  herald  who  summons  the  people  to  the  love  and  defense 
of  their  country,  calling  at  the  top  of  his  voice:  *0,  my  coun 
try;  0,  my  beloved  country! '   There  is  a  herald  who  blows  the 
bugle  of  New  Nationalism.   Here  is  another  herald  who  calls  the 
people  to  politics,  in  order  that  he  may  wield  great  power  of 
State.  There  is  another  person  who  is  a  herald  of  literature  and 
science.   Here  you  find  a  soul  who  is  the  herald  of  commercial 
interests  and  its  expansion;  and  there  is  still  another  herald  who 
sounds  the  trumpet  of  war  and  militarism,  but  praise  be  to  God, 
that  you  are  the  heralds  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.   All  thest  con 
tending  voices  which  are  raised  in  the  world  today  will  ere  long 
be  silenced  and  hushed,  but  the  call  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  will 
gain  volume  and  impetus  day  by  day.   The  popularity  of  these 
worldly  heralds  may  last  for  a  year  or  two.  but  the  fame  of  the 
souls  who  are  the  heralds  of  the  Kingdom  is  eternal,  for  They 
are  sounding  the  trumpet  of  celestial,  universal  peace.   Their 
voices  will  ring  throughout  future  centuries  and  will  be  immor 
tal  and  age -abiding.   Thank  ye  God  that  ye  arc  the  heralds  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Abha,  the  heralds  of  the  Covenant  of  the  Almighty. 
All  other  voices  will  be  repressed,  but  this  harmonic  song  of 
the  kingdom  of  peace  and  truth  is  eternal  and  everlasting. 

Now  I  desire  to  send  you  back  to  the  United  States.   I  sup- 
plioate  and  beseech  at  the  Threshold  of  the  Kingdom  of  Abha  that 
you  may  go  forth  with  a  heavenly  power,  wit.a  radiant  hearts, 

elestial  souls,  and  with  breaths  imbued  with  the  Fragran 
ces  of  the  Holy  Spirit!   May  you  be  confirmed,  ar.d  assisted,  and. 
may  you  raise  such  a  melody,  and  sing  such  a.  song  as  to  stir  and 
move  the  hearts  of  the  American  people.   I  anticipate  to  receive 
glad  news  from  you.'' 

Looking  at.  us  he  said  smiling: 

''You  are  two  good  friends.   In  conduct,  in  manners,  in  tem 
perament,  and  in  sociability  you  are  one. 

90 


It  will  be  well  for  you  to  make  another  tour  of  the  United 
States  and  Hawaii  to  teach  and  to  proclaim  the  Cause  of  God  in 
the  outlying  assemblies. 

On  this  trip  I  hope  tnat  both  of  you  will  return  to  America 
with  a  new  power,  filled  with  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Kingdom. 
Be  ye  full  of  joy  to  such  an  extent  that  in  whichever  meeting 
you  enter  those  present  muy  be  permeated  wiuh  a  spirit  of  heav 
enly  blessedness. 

When  yoa  return  to  America  say  to  all  the  believers  in  my 
behalf  that  whenever  a  person  comes  to  that  country,  no  matter 
to  what  nationality  he  may  belong,  and  tries  to  collect  money  in 
my  name  know  that  it  has  no  connection  with  me.   I  am  free  from 
it.   Whosoever  asks  for  money  for  me,  does  so  of  his  own  voli 
tion.   There  are  some  people  who  desire  to  collect  money  under 
all  kinds  of  pretexts.   I  desire  to  impress  upon  your  minds  that 
I  have  nothing  to  do  with  such  affairs.   I  never  ask  anyone  to 
send  me  money.   Whosoever  loves  money  does  not  love  God,  and  who 
soever  loves  God  does  not  love  money.   On  the  other  hand,  if  some 
of  the  believers  voluntarily  desire  to  help  and  assist  one  an 
other,  or  some  philanthropic  institution,  whose  objects  are  for 
the  public  welfare  and  progress,  it  is  very  good  and  praise 
worthy.   I  do  not  desire  that  anyone  may  ask  money  in  my  name  for 
any  affair.   The  souls  must  be  detached  from  the  world.   Those 
sorls  who  are  attached  to  this  world  and  its  wealth  are  deprived 
of  spiritual  advancement.   The  believers  must  live  such  an  inde 
pendent  life  r,hat  if  one  comes  and  begs  them  to  accept  money 
they  should  refuse  him.   As  long  as  the  souls  are  not  severed, 
how  do  they  expect  to  journey  along  the  ideal  path? 

On  the  eve  of  my  departure  from  New  York  I  told  a  number  of 
believers  tnat  His  Holiness,  Christ,  has  stated  'that  when  you 
leave  a  city,  shake  its  dust  from  off  your  feet.'   So  far,  very 
few  people  nave  lived  according  to  this  behest,  but  it  is  my 
will  to  live  accordingly.   Before  coming  to  America  the  believ 
ers  of  God,  through  Mirza  Ahmad,  offered  fcr  ray  travelling  ex 
penses  $16, ',00,  but  I  did  not.  accept  one  cent.   Man  must  live  in 
the  utmost  sanctity  and  purity,  and  he  must  ever  think  to  assist 
others  and  not  to  beg  assistance. 

In  short,  I  am  sending  you  away.   I  supplicate  and  entreat 
confirmation  for  you.   I  beg  strength  and  power  for  you.   I  hope 
that  the  confirmations  of  the  Kingdom  of  Abha  may  encircle  you, 
%.  and  that  you  may  become  the  means  of  the  guidance  of  the  people. 
With  reinforced  hearts,  strong  resolution,  and  heavenly  assist 
ance  may  you  loose  your  tongues,  deliver  eloquent  speeches,  and 
promote  the  Word  of  God. 

91 


ABDUL  BAHA  AND  A  GROUP  OF  BELIEVERS 
AT  THE  TOMB  OF  THE  BAB 


ABDUL  BAHA  WITH  A  GROUP  OF  BELIEVERS 
AT  HIS  HOUSE  IN  HAIFA 


92 


May  you  ever  be  confirmed  and  assisted;  may  you  ever  be  il 
lumined;  may  you  ever  be  the  racans  of  the  guidance  of  the  peo 
ple;  may  you  ever  breathe  the  breath  of  Iif3  in  the  hearts;  m-/.y 
you  be  the  signs  of  mercy  to  all  mankind;  may  you  be  the  shinir-g 
lamps  of  severance  and  detachment  in  this  dork  world.*' 


Such  were  Abdul  Baha's  words  of  parting  blessing  and  encour 
agement  to  us  as  we  turned  our  faces  westw^id  toward  America, 
hoping  and  -crusting  that  by  this  Bounty  of  God  we  would  be  spir 
itually  reinforced  to  do  the  work  before  u«. 


Brief  visits  with  the  Bahai  friends  in  Port  Said  and  in  Ram- 
leh  near  Alexandria  closed  our  experiences  in  the  Orient.   A  few 
days  waiting  between  steamers  in  Naples,  with  a  trip  to  Rome, 
and  we  were  sailing  for  America,  where  we  landed  a  little  after 
the  middle  of  November  and  continued  our  travels  westward, 
visiting  the  various  Bahai  centers  near  the  Atlantic  Coast  and 
across  the  States  and  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  then  we  took  ship 
for  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  where  we  arrived  in  the  early  Spring. 
After  a  few  weeks  with  the  friends  in  Hawaii,  together  with 
a  party,  we  returned  to  California,  that  we  might  attend 
the  International  Bahai  Congress,  held  in  San  Francisco  under 
the  auspice?  of  the  Panama  Pacific  Exposition,  where  Bahai  rep 
resentatives  assembled  from  many  cities.   After  this  convention 
we  parted,  Mr.  Latimer  returning  to  his  home  in  Oregon,  while  I 
returned  to  Honolulu,  where  I  now  am. 

We  are  both  hoping  and  anticipating  that  Abdul  Baha  may 
again  give  us  another  opportunity  to  travel ,  and  together  at 
tempt  to  serve  the  Bahai  Cause. 


The  great  lesson  which  we  learned  from  Abdul  Baha  during 
this  visit  was  the  power  of  the  penetrative  spirit  of  the  Bahai 
Cause.   I  wont  to  him  feeling  strong  in  the  letter  of  the 
teaching,  but  found  myself  weak  in  its  spirit,  and  he  made  me 
realize  as  never  before  that  the  letter  devoid  of  the  spirit 
killeth  that  which  we  would  bring  about. 

Love  ard  harmony  can  only  be  established  through  love  and 
harmony.   Tt  is  only  through  being  in  spiritual  harmony  oneself, 
and  truly  loving  humanity  that  one  can  possibly  work  in  the 
Bahai  Cause  and  bring  harmony  and  peace  to  the  hungering  souls 
of  the  world. 

93 


The  deep  realization  of  this  came  to  me  while  I  was  with 
Abdul  Baha,  not  from  any  one  definite  word  v/hich  he  said  to  us, 
but  simply  through  the  awakening  which  comes  to  those  sou. s  who 
make  a  point  cf  spiritual  contact  with  him,  lor  to  be  in  his 
spiritual  presence  is  in  itself  that  which  arouses  one  ar.d  makes 
one  awake  and  alive  to  the  realities  of  the  Bahai  Cause. 

Those  who  have  met  Abdul  Baha  and  recognize  his  spiritual 
station  realize  that  in  him  there  is  a  power  for  fraternal  love 
before  which  enmity  and  prejudice  cannot  st&.nd,  and  in  propor 
tion  as  people  recognize  this  power  and  its  source  and  live  the 
life  in  accordance  with  it  the  Peace  of  God  which  we  all  so  de 
sire  will  come  and  dwell  with  us  here  upon  earth. 

FINIS . 


IV 

THE  BAHAI  CAUSE 

AND 
PEACE 


95 


THE  BAH/ I  CAUSE  AND  PEACE 

These  are  days  of  trouble  and  bloodshed.   The  great  world 
powers  are  engaged  in  a  war,  the  horrors  of  which  surpass  those 
of  all  past  ages.   Above  the  din  of  battle  is  heard  the  wailing 
of  the  multitudes  of  those  made  homeless,  childless,  husband- 
less,  and  fatherless  through  material  greec"!  and  hatred,  while 
even  in  those  countries  not  directly  engaged  in  the  conflict  the 
masses  of  the  people  are  suffering  because  cf  the  depression 
material  and  moral,  both  produced  directly  and  indirectly  by  the 
war. 

These  conditions  all  taken  together  are  causing  people  to 
think,  and  for  the  first  time  in  history  hu.rca.nity  as  a  whcle  has 
had  forced  tpon  it  for  consideration  the  universal  question  of 
war  or  peace. 

The  problem  in  the  minds  of  thinking  people  is  this:  Is  hu 
manity  to  continue  indefinitely  this  struggle  between  nations, 
with  its  seasons  of  war  separated  by  longer  or  shorter  periods 
of  so-called  peace,  during  which  the  nations  are  recuperating 
and  renewing  their  engine t,  of  destruction  in  order  to  enter 
again  into  open  conflict,  destroying  that  which  has  taken  years 
of  labor  to  construct,  or  has  the  time  not  come  for  a  change 
from  this  archaic  system  cf  destruction  to  one  of  justice,  co 
operation,  and  construction  between  the  nations,  a  system  con 
ducive  to  peace? 

Upon  this  question  the  world  is  now  divided.   On  the  cne 
hand  are  the  extreme  militarists,  who  hold  that  the  peace  and 
prosperity  of  the  nations  can  only  be  maintained,  by  developing 
and  maintaining  the  military  strength  of  the  individual  nation, 
that  the  world  progresses  through  military  valor,  and  that  peace 
is  devitalizing  to  a  nation,  and  without  war  a.  people  became  ef 
feminate  and  decadent. 

Then,  upon  the  other  hand,  are  pacifists  who  hold  the  view 
quite  opposed  to  that  of  the  militarists;  namely,  that  peace  and 
co-operation  and  not  military  conflict  and  destruction  are  the 
conditions  under  which  the  highest  virtues  of  man  are  born  and 
develop. 

World  conditions  in  this  twentieth  centnr/  are  not  what  they 
were  in  pa-^t  epochs.   In  the  present  time  through  travel,  com 
munication,  and  commerce  the  interdependence  of  peoples  and 
nations  has  become  a  recognized  factor  heretofore  compara^ively 
non-existent,  which  now  has  to  be  met  by  the  world. 

96 


In  primitive  times  in  sparsely  populated  countries,  where 
families  were  separated  by  distances,  individual  feuds,  quarrels, 
and  warfare  were  the  rule;  but  as  the  lands  filled  up,  cities 
grew,  and  people  lived  in  closer  contact  or.e  with  another,  con 
ditions  changed  so  that  co-operation  between  individuals  became 
necessary  and  conducive  to  the  best  good  of  all.   When  the  ma 
jority  of  the  people  in  a  land  wanted  law  and  order  they  estab 
lished  it,  and  with  an  adequate  police  force  order  was  forced  up 
on  the  disorderly  members  of  society,  and  in  this  way  life  was 
made  safe  for  the  mass  of  the  people.   Thus  conditions  changed 
so  that  co-operation  between  individuals  became  conducive  to  the 
best  good  of  all. 

In  other  words,  conditions  had  changed,  and  it  no  longer  be 
ing  possible  for  one  man  to  enrich  himself  at  the  expense  of  his 
neighbor  through  pillage  «nd  theft  they  then  began  to  co-oper 
ate,  and  ir  this  new  state  of  interdependence  each  found  his 
horizon  of  life  enlarged  and  his  scope  for  development  increased. 

From  the  material  standpoint  a  parallel  may  here  be  drawn 
between  the  development  of'  peace  between  families  and  between 
nations.   In  past  epochs  nations  and  peoples  were  separated  by 
geographic  boundaries,  not  easily  surmountable.   In  those  days  it 
was  possible  for  the  people  of  cne  country  to  invade  the  terri 
tory  of  another  nation  and  enrich  themselves  by  carrying  off 
booty  and  plunder,  (in  those  times  often  in  the  form  of  bullion 
and  slaves)  and  thus  from  the  material  standpoint  prosper 
through  war;  but  now  in  this  day  those  ancient  conditions  no 
longer  exist.   Now  nations  are  so  dependent  upon  one  another  for 
finances,  foodstuffs,  and  supplies  of  all  kinds,  as  well  as  for 
the  output  of  their  own  prodiacts,  that  their  welfare  and  pros 
perity  now  no  longer  depend  upon  war  but  upon  peace,  no  longer 
upon  conquest,  but  upon  co-operation  with  neighboring  nations. 

In  this  present  time  nations  lose  far  more  through  war  than 
they  possibly  can  gain.   Were  any  one  cf  th^  European  nations 
now  at  war  to  gain  an  overwhelming  victory  over  its  adversaries, 
it  would  be  impossible  for  it  to  exact  sufficient  tribute  to  rec 
ompense  it  for  the  material  outlay,  the  loss  of  life,  and  the 
many  terrible  after-effects  of  war  which  it  would  suffer.   Thus 
war  has  become  a  losing  proposition,  one  doomed  to  loss  even  be 
fore  entered  upon. 

This  interdependence  of  nations  and  peoples  is  an  entirely 
new  phase  of  world  progress,  which  now  for  the  first  time 
needs  to  be  reckoned  with  in  dealing  with  military  matter?. 

Through  the  development  of  national  military  power  and  pre 
paredness  for  war,  so  fervently  advocated  by  many  as  a  national 

97 


protection  and  a  means  for  peace,  instead  of  making  for  peace 
has  quite  the  opposite  effect,  for  such  makes  for  war.  A  standing 
army  and  a  large  and  increasing  navy  is  not  only  a  great  eco 
nomic  drain  upon  a  people,  but  that  system  in  itself  keeps  alive 
the  spirit  of  war;  it  tends  to  make  a  people  proud  and  over 
bearing,  and  thus  furthers  the  spirit  of  fear  and  hatred  between 
peoples,  reoe?,  and  nations,  thus  psychologically  laying  the 
foundation  for  strife  through  the  mental  and  moral  destructive 
influences. 

The  system  of  militarism  keeps  the  spirit  of  war  alive, 
keeps  the  people  in  training  for  war,  and  places  in  their  hands 
and  ready  for  use  at  all  times  the  engines  and  instruments  of 
war,  thus  making  war  possible  at  short  notice  and  little  provo 
cation. 

It  is  a  recognized  fact  that  with  a  large  and  a  growing  arma 
ment  and  a  standing  army  in  training  for  war  the  time  comes  when 
the  people  want  to  fight,  and  when  a  people  want  to  fight,  like 
individual.0  ander  the  power  of  the  same  fight  thought,  sooner  or 
later  they  will  fight. 

Thus  the  means  of  war  can  be  said  to  have  become  a  cause  of 
war,  in  that  these  means  exert  both  a  conscious  and  an  uncon 
scious  inf lac-nee  for  war,  increasing  hatred  between  the  nations 
and  races,  all  of  which  must  be  considered  as  fundamental  ele 
ments  in  the  general  psychology  of  war,  which  psychology  is  the 
real  underlying  cause  of  wars  of  aggression. 

While  vicious  marauders  must  be  restrained  by  force,  and  the 
weaker  and  innocent  must  be  protected  by  force,  nevertheless, 
the  power  which  will  bring  about  a  real  and  a  lasting  peace  must 
be  a  spiritual  power  which  will  strike  at  and  overcome  the  root 
or  the  prirrai  cause  of  ws.r. 

Such  a  power  is  the  Bahai  spirit,  and  it  is  acting  in  this 
most  important  matter. 

In  order  to  abolish  t.ie  causes  of  war,  a  blow  must  be  struck 
at  all  hatred  and  enmity  between  classes,  races,  nations,  and 
religions,  and  at  the  greed  and  avarice  inherent  in  savage  men. 
These  disturbing  causes  are  at  root  in  the  soul  of  man.   As  the 
actions  of  peoples  as  well  as  of  individuals  are  but  the  reflection 
of  their  thoughts  and  ideals,  action,  national  as  well  as  indi 
vidual,  can  be  traced  back  to  the  general  and  personal  thought  of 
the  people.   The  power  of  imagination  is  a  far  greater  element 
in  life  than  material  considerations,  for  the -actions  of  people 
are  ruled  by  the  power  of  their  sentiments,  thoughts,  affec 
tions,  and  prejudices,  and  material  desires. 

98 


The  cause  of  this  present  war  is  greed,  national  prejudice, 
pride,  hatred,  and  fear,  all  of  which  causes  have  their  root  in 
the  soul  of  man  and  arise  through  a  lack  of  spiritual  assurance, 
poise,  and  development. 

Peace  can  only  be  permanently  established  by  freeing  the 
world  from  this  obsession  of  war-thought,  by  freeing  the  people 
from  greed,  fear,  desire  of  aggression,  and  from  racial,  na 
tional,  and  religious  prejudices,  all  of  which  make  up  the  cause  of 
war. 

Because  of  this  present  war  already  the  vast  majority  of  the 
thinking  public  are  alive  to  this  need  of  the  day,  and  they  real 
ize  that  this  question  of  universal  peace  is  by  far  the  most 
important  issue  at  present  before  the  world. 

The  real  inner  peace  cannot  be  objectively  forced  upon  a 
people  or  peoples.   It  cannot  come  from  without,  it  nmst  be 
born  from  within,  spiritually  and  psychologically  in  a  people 
before  it  begins  to  be  manifest  in  their  civic  and  national 
life,  and  now  the  question  is:  how  is  this  inner  change  to  be  ac 
complished?  How  are  prejudice,  hate,  and  materialism  to  be 
overcome . 

The  Bahais  meet  this  question  with  a  positive  teaching  in 
woid  and  deed  of  the  Divine  love  principle  of  trxie  religion. 

The  Bahai  Movement  is  the  universal  religious  cause  of  this 
new  age.   It  stands  for  the  Oneness  in  spirit  and  in  deed  of  all 
peoples  of  all  religions,  races,  and  nations.   It  therefore 
deals  directly  or  indirectly  with  all  human  problems. 

One  of  the  Bahai  principles  is  that  of  universal  peace. 
This  subject  of  peace  is  uppermost  in  the  mind  of  the  world  at 
the  present  time  and  the  happiness,  the  well-being,  and  the  prog 
ress  of  mankind  depends  upon  the  solution  of  the  problem. 

In  the  problem  of  international  peace  as  well  as  in  all 
other  problems  the  Bahai  Teaching  holds  aloft  a  high  spiritual 
ideal  which  must  be  realized  in  deeds  and  actions.   * "These  are 
the  days  of  faith  and  deeds,  not  the  days  of  words  and  lip  serv 
ice.*'  * '  The  effect  of  deeds  is  in  truth  more  powerful  than 
that  of  words.''   ''Deeds  reveal  the  station  of  the  man.'    Such 
are  the  maxims  of  the  Bahai  Teaching.   Therefore,  in  advancing 
the  ideal  of  peace  upon  earth  it  is  not  merely  advanced  as  an 
ethereal  dream  not  to  be  realized,  but  along  with  this  ideal  are 
certain  international  reforms  and  institutions  for  which  the 
Bahais  stand,  and  through  the  founding  of  which  they  realize 

99 


ABDUL  BAHA  WITH  A  GROUP  OP  BAHAIS 
AT  THE  TOMB  OP  THE  BAB 


ABDUL  BAHA  WITH  A  GROUP  OP  BAHAIS 
AT  HIS  HOME  IN  HAIFA 

100 


that  war  and  strife  will  cease  and  a  constructive  system  of  co 
operation  will  take  the  place  of  the  present  and  past  strife  and 
hatred  between  nations. 

The  Bahai  Cause  teaches  that  brotherly  love  is  the  means 
through  which  the  true  civilization  of  humanity  will  be  real 
ized.   Prejudice  and  hatred,  be  it  between  peoples  of  different 
classes,  nations,  races,  or  religions,  is  a  destructive  factor 
in  the  world  and  is  the  cause  of  the  retrogression  of  the  race. 
Therefore,  the  followers  of  the  Bahai  Movement,  in  order  to  firmly 
lay  a  foundation  for  human  solidarity,  are  doing  their  ut 
most  to  destroy  these  various  forms  of  animosity  and  prejudice 
by  striving  to  implant  in  people's  hearts  the  principles  of  the 
love  of  humanity. 

Pure  religious  truth  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  reason 
and  the  science  of  the  age,  before  which  light  the  superstitions 
and  imaginations  which  have  coiae  down  from  the  past  are  dispelled 
and  dissipated.   All  men  are  exhorted  to  investigate,  each 
for  himself,  the  realities  of  religion,  accepting  nothing 
through  tradition  and  hearsay. 

Thus  by  a  careful  study  of  the  reality  underlying  all  relig 
ions,  and  through  the  light  of  this  present  day  teaching,  the 
fundamental  oneness  of  all  religions  will  be  understood.   This 
is  the  foundation  of  the  universal  religious  ideal,  from  which 
is  growing  the  new  order  of  a  universal  spirit  of  faith,  which 
is  the  mainspring  of  the  great  universal  civilization  of  man 
kind  which  is  to  be. 

Along  with  these  high  spiritual  ideals  must  come  their  ex 
pression  in  daily  life  and  material  matters.   Children  of  both 
sexes  must  be  educated  and  trained,  women  must  be  given  equal 
rights  with  men,  and  means  must  be  devised  so  that  neither  indi 
viduals  nor  classes  of  individuals  shall  be  deprived  of  their 
just  portion  of  the  fruits  and  material  blessings  of  the  earth. 

These  reforms  can  only  come  about,  and  this  millennial  state 
of  humanity  can  only  be  attained  through  establishing  in  the 
heart  of  humanity  the  true  spirit  of  the  religion  of  God.   This 
is  true  civilization,  for  true  civilization  only  follows  and  is 
produced  by  true  religion. 

True  religion,  morality,  and  the  accompanying  high  ideals 
have  always  gone  hand  in  hand  with  human  uplift  and  progress, 
and  conversely  in  times  when  irreligion  and  immorality  have  pre 
vailed  with  the  inevitable  lowering  of  all  ideals,  nations  have 
retrograded,  and  civilization  has  fallen  and  decayed,  and  the 
people  have  been  in  manifest  loss. 

101 


Even  in  reading  this  brief  sketch  of  some  of  the  Bahai  prin 
ciples  it  will  be  seen  that  each  is  a  necessary  element  and  a 
part  of  the  real  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  world,  so  that  the 
doctrine  of  universal  peace  very  properly  belongs  in  the  Bahai 
philosophy  and  is  one  of  its  most  important  principles. 

Baha'o'llah  wrote:  ''Let  not  a  man  glory  that  he  loves  his 
country,  but  rather  let  him  glory  that  he  loves  his  kind, '   and 
in  speaking  of  this  Cause  he  is  reported  to  have  once  said:  ' 'We 
desire  but  the  good  of  the  world  and  the  happiness  of  the 
nations;  that  all  nations  shall  become  one  in  faith,  and  all  men 
as  brothers;  that  the  bonds  of  affection  and  unity  between  the 
sons  of  men  shall  be  strengthened;  that  diversity  of  religion 
shall  cease  and  differences  of  race  be  annulled.   So  it  shall 
be.   These  fruitless  strifes,  these  ruinous  wars  shall  pass 
away,  and  the  'Most  Great  Peace'  shall  come.'    In  the  writings 
of  Baha'o'llah  and  of  Abdul  Baha  are  numerous  treatises  regard 
ing  peace  and  unity,  all  of  which  taken  together  form  the  teach 
ing  and  the  attitude  of  the  movement  toward  this  subject,  nor  is 
the  teaching  indirect  and  vague  in  the  methods  it  advances  for 
the  establishment  of  harmony  between  nations.   The  nations 
should  come  together  and  establish  an  international  Court  of  Ar 
bitration,  supporting  and  enforcing  its  international  decisions. 
Besides  police  forces  in  each  country  sufficient  to  maintain 
national  order,  an  international  police  force  should  be  insti 
tuted  in  order  to  enforce  the  just  decrees  of  the  international 
Court  of  Arbitration,  so  that  if  one  nation  should  threaten  the 
peace  and  tranquillity  of  the  world  it  could  be  forced  into  line 
with  the  others  without  the  horrors  of  a  prolonged  war.   Such 
measures,  together  with  the  strict  neutrality  of  those  nations 
not  implicated  in  the  international  dispute,  and  their  refusal 
to  send  either  munitions  of  war  or  lend  financial  aid  to  bellig 
erent,  nations,  would  very  shortly  do  away  with  the  possibility 
of  war  from  a  material  standpoint,  as  the  constructive  teaching 
of  peace  principles  and  true  religion,  though  but  slowly,  now 
is,  nevertheless,  surely  eradicating  the  war  thought  from  the 
minds  of  men. 

About  forty  years  ago  a  book  was  written  by  one  who  was  ever 
under  the  training  and  protection  of  Baha'o'llah,  one  who  even 
then  was  prominent  in  the  Bahai  Cause  as  a  teacher  and  a  phil 
osopher.   This  work  was  published  under  the  title  of  ''The  Mys 
terious  Forces  of  Civilization, '   and  is  an  anonymous  exposition 
of  Bahai  thought  and  ideals  relative  to  both  national  and  inter 
national  affairs.   Although  at  that  time  the  attention  of  the 
world  had  not  been  called  to  arbitration  and  universal  peace, 
nevertheless,  even  more  than  twenty  years  prior  to  that  date 
Baha 'o'llah  was  laying  the  foundation  for  world  conciliation. 

102 


The  following  excerpt  from  the  book  in  question  mentions  ar 
bitration  backed  up  by  a  limited  military  force  as  an  institu 
tion  through  which  war  may  be  eliminated: 

' 'Yea,  the  true  civilization  will  raise  its  banner  in  the 
center  of  the  world,  when  some  noble  kings  of  high  ambitions, the 
bright  Suns  of  the  World  of  humanitarian  enthusiasm  shall,  for 
the  good  and  happiness  of  all  the  human  race,  step  forth  with 
firm  resolution  and  keen  strength  of  mind,  and  hold  a  conference 
on  the  question  of  universal  peace;  when,  keeping  fast  hold  of 
the  means  of  enforcing  their  views  they  shall  establish  a  union 
of  the  States  of  the  world,  and  conclude  a  definite  treaty  and 
strict  alliance  between  them  upon  conditions  not  to  be  evaded. 
When  the  whole  human  race  should  have  been  consulted  through 
their  representatives  and  invited  to  corroborate  this  treaty, 
which  verily  would  be  a  treaty  of  universal  peace  and  would  be 
accounted  sacred  by  all  the  peoples  of  the  earth,  it  would  be  the 
duty  of  the  united  powers  of  the  world  to  see  that  this  great 
treaty  should  be  strengthened  and  should  endure . 

In  such  a  universal  treaty  the  limits  of  the  borders  and 
boundaries  of  every  State  should  be  fixed,  and  the  customs  and 
laws  of  every  government.   All  the  agreements  and  the  affairs  of 
State,  and  the  arrangements  between  the  various  governments, 
should  be  propounded  and  settled  in  due  form.   The  size  of  the 
armaments  for  each  government  should  likewise  be  definitely 
agreed  upon;  because,  if  in  the  case  of  any  State  there  were  to 
be  an  increase  in  the  preparation  for  war,  it  would  be  a  cause 
of  alarm  to  the  other  States.   At  any  rate,  the  basis  of  this 
powerful  alliance  should  be  so  fixed  that,  if  one  of  the  States 
afterwards  broke  any  of  the  articles  of  it,  the  rest  of  the  na 
tions  of  the  world  would  rise  up  and  destroy  it.   Yea,  the  whole 
human  race  would  band  its  forces  together  to  exterminate  it. 

If  so  great  a  remedy  should  be  applied  to  the  sick  body  of 
the  world,  it  would  certainly  be  the  means  of  continually  and 
permanently  healing  its  illness  by  the  inculcation  of  "universal 
moderation.   Reflect  that,  under  such  conditions  of  life,  no 
government  or  kingdom  would  need  to  prepare  and  accumulate  war 
materials,  or  would  need  to  pay  heed  to  the  invention  of  new 
weapons  of  offense  for  the  vexation  and  hurt  of  mankind.   On  the 
contrary,  they -would  require  a  few  soldiers,  as  a  means  of  as 
suring  the  safety  of  the  State,  and  punishing  the  wicked  and 
rebellious,  and  preventing  the  growth  of  civil  sedition.   Not 
more  than  these  few  would  be  needed.   In  the  first  place,  there 
fore,  the  servants  of  God,  that  is  to  say,  all  the  inhabitants 
of  a  State,  would  be  freed  from  bearing  the  burden  of  the  tremen 
dous  expense  of  an  army.  In  the  second  place,  the  many  persons  who 
now  devote  their  lives  to  the  invention  of  instruments  of  war 

103 


would  no  longer  waste  their  time  upon  such  work,  which  but  encour 
ages  ferocity  and  blood-thirstiness,  and  is  repugnant  to  the 
universal  ideal  of  humanity.   On  the  contrary,  they  would  then 
employ  their  natural  gifts  in  the  cause  of  the  general  well-be 
ing,  and  would  contribute  towards  the  peace  and  salvation  of 
mankind.   All  the  rulers  of  the  world  would  then  be  settled  on 
peaceful  thrones  amid,  the  glory  of  a  perfect  civilization,  and 
all  the  nations  and  peoples  would  rest  in  the  cradle  of  peace 
and  comfort. 

Some  persons  who  are  ignorant  of  the  world  of  true  humanity 
and  its  high  ambitions  for  the  general  good  reckon  such  a  glo 
rious  condition  of  life  to  be  very  difficult;  nay,  rather  impos 
sible  to  compass,  but  it  is  not  so.   Par  from  it,  for,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  and  by  the  testimony  of  the  Beloved,  those  near  to 
the  threshold  of  the  Creator,  and  by  the  incomparably  high  ambi 
tions  of  the  souls  that  are  perfect,  and  the  thoughts  and  opin 
ions  of  the  wisest  men  of  the  age,  there  never  has  been  and  is 
not  now  anything  improbable  and  impossible  in  existence.   What 
are  required  are  the  most  resolved  determination  and  the  most 
ardent  enthusiasm.   How  many  things,  which  in  ancient  times  were 
regarded  as  impossibilities,  of  such  a  kind  that  the  intellect 
could  hardly  conceive  them,  we  now  perceive  to  have  become  quite 
simple  and  easy.   Why  then  should  this  great  and  important  mat 
ter  of  universal  peace,  which  is  verily  the  sun  amongst  the 
lights  of  civilization,  the  cause  of  honor,  freedom,  and  salva 
tion  for  all,  be  considered  as  something  improbable  of  realiza 
tion? 

It  is  evident  that  the  honor  and  greatness  of  man  have  not 
arisen  through  blood-thirstiness,  the  destruction  of  cities  and 
kingdoms,  the  ruining  and  murdering  of  armies  and  peoples.   On 
the  contrary,  the  cause  of  high-mindedness  and  prosperity  is 
based  upon  the  cherishing  of  justice  and  the  sympathy  with  one's 
fellow-citizens,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  upon  building 
up  the  kingdom,  the  cities  and  villages,  the  suburbs  and  the 
country,  and  upon  the  freedom  and  quiet  of  the  servants  of  God 
in  laying  down  the  foundations  of  the  principles  of  progress,  and 
in  the  extension  of  the  common  weal,  the  increase  of  wealth,  and 
general  prosperity.   Reflect  how  many  world -subduing  kings  have 
sat  on  thrones  as  conquerors.   For  example,  Hal akoo  Khan,  Ameer 
Taimoor  Koorkan,  who  subjugated  the  great  continent  of  Asia, 
Alexander  the  Macedonian,  and  Napoleon  the  First,  who  stretched 
the  hand  of  tyranny  over  three  of  the  five  continents  of  the 
world.   What  advantages  have  resulted  from  these  vast  conquests? 
Was  any  kingdom  established,  or  any  gain  of  happiness?  Was  any 
dynasty  permanently  settled  thereby,  or  did  it  mean  merely  the 
ending  of  the  reign  of  one  particular  dynasty?   The  only  result 
produced  by  the  world-conquering  operations  of  Halakoo  and  Djan- 

104 


giz,  provoking  war  on  all  sides,  was  that  the  continent  of  Asia 
became  like  a  heap  of  ashes  beneath  the  blaze  of  his  terrible 
conflagrations . 

Ameer  Taimoor  won  no  benefit  by  his  subduing  of  the  earth. 
He  only  dispersed  the  people  in  his  path  and  destroyed  the  foun 
dations  of  htunanity. 

The  only  outcome  of  the  great  conquest  of  Alexander  the  Mace 
donian  was  the  fall  of  his  sun  from  his  throne  as  a  ruler,  and 
the  passing  of  his  dominions  into  the  hands  of  Cassander,  Seleu- 
cus,  Ptolemy,  and  Lysimachus. 

Napoleon  the  First  found  no  benefit  in  his  victories  over 
the  kings  of  Europe,  but  he  ruined  well-constituted  kingdoms  and 
well-cultivated  countries.   He  destroyed  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  men,  terrorized  and  intimidated  the  whole  continent  of  Eu 
rope,  and  ended  his  life  in  a  wretched  captivity.   Such  were  the 
results  left  behind  them  by  these  kings  and  their  huge  con 
quests.   Now,  consider  carefully.,  in  contrast,  the  graces  and 
the  praiseworthy  virtues,  the  high-mindedness  and  great  dignity 
of  the  just  and  righteous  sovereign  Anusheerwan.  the  Just.   At 
the  time  when  that  chief  pillar  of  justice  ascended  the  throne 
the  Persian  government  was  shaken  to  its  foundation  by  years  of 
misrule  and  oppression,  but,  by  his  God-given  wisdom,  he  estab 
lished  the  rcigri  of  equity,  abolished  the  methods  of  cruelty  and 
injustice,  and  gathered  together  the  dispersed  people  of  Pers-a 
under  the  protecting  shadow  of  the  wings  of  his  sovereignty. 

In  a  short  time,  under  the  life-giving  influence  of  his  care 
and  devotion,  the  decaying  kingdom  of  Persia  was  quickened  into 
fresh  vitality  and  became  one  of  the  happiest  of  nationalities. 
He  restored  and  fortified  the  weakened  powers  of  the  government. 
His  fame  for  justice  spread  over  all  the  seven  regions  of  the 
earth,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  peoples  of  the  world  were 
raised,  from  the  depths  of  extreme  poverty  and  degradation  to  the 
senith  of  honor  and  prosperity. 

Although  he  belonged  to  the  nation  of  Magi#  and  Center  of 
the  Creation,  Mohammed,  the  Sun  of  Truth  of  the  heaven  of  pro 
phecy  uttered  these  blessed  words  concerning  him:  'I  was  born  in 
the  time  of  the  Just  King. '   He  rejoiced  at  having  been  born  in 
the  days  of  his  government.   Now,  is  that  glorious  monarch  thus 
esteemed  for  his  loving  peace  and  justice,  or  for  the  shedding  of 
blood  in  the  overrunning  of  the  world? 

Reflect  how  preeminently  he  is  distinguished  in  the  world, 
the  center  of  wonders „  since  the  fame  of  his  greatness  is  undying 
on  earth,  and  so  he  enjoys  the  glory  of  Eternal  life.'* 


#  Zoroastrians  considered  as  idolaters  by  the  ancient  Moslems. 

105 


THE  VOICE 

OF 
UNIVERSAL  PEACE 


106 


THE  VOICE  OF  UNIVERSAL  PEACE 

A  letter  written  by  Abdul  Sana  to  a  friend  in  London,  Eng 
land,  dated  Akka,  October  11,  1914. 

'"After  the  declaration  of  the  constitutional  regime  in  Tur 
key  in  1908,  by  the  members  of  the  Committee  of  the  Union  and 
Progress,  this  prisoner  of  forty  years  travelled  and  journeyed 
for  three  years,  from  1910  to  1913,  throughout  the  countries  of 
Europe  and  the  vast  continent  of  America.   Notwithstanding  the 
advancement  in  age,  with  its  natural  consequences,  with  a  reson 
ant  voice  I  gave  detailed  addresses  before  large  conventions  and 
historical  churches.   I  enumerated  all  these  principles  contained 
in  the  Tablets  and  Teachings  of  Baha'o'llah  concerning  war  and 
peace . 

About  fifty  years  ago  His  Holiness  Baha'o'llah  proclaimed 
certain  Teachings  and  raised  the  Songs  of  Universal  Peace.   In 
numerous  Tablets  and  sundry  Epistles  He  foretold,  in  the  most 
explicit  language,  the  present  cataclysmal  events,  stating  that 
the  world  of  humanity  was  facing  the  most  portentous  danger,  and 
asserting  categorically  that  'the  realization  of  war  was  unfortu 
nately  inevitable  and  unavoidable,  for  these;  combustible  mate 
rials  which  are  stored  in  the  infernal  arsenals  of  Europe  will 
explode  by  the  contact  with  one  spark.'   Among  other  things, 
'the  Balkans  will  become  a  volcano  and  the  map  of  Europe  will  be 
changed.'   For  these  and  similar  reasons  He,  Baha'o'llah,  invited 
the  world  of  humanity  to  universal  peace.   He  wrote  a  number 
of  epistles  to  the  kings#  and  rulers,  and  in  those  epistles  He 
explained  the  destructive  evils  of  war,  and  dwelt  on  the  solid 
benefits  and  nobler  influences  of  universal  peace.   War  saps  the 
foundation  of  humanity,  emd  killing  is  an  unpardonable  crime 
against  God,  for  man  is  an  edifice  built  by  the  hand  of  the  Al 
mighty.   Peace  is  life  incarnate;  war  is  death  personified. 
Peace  is  the  Divine  spirit;  war  is  Satanic  suggestion.   Peace  is 
the  light  of  the  world;  war  is  stygian  darkness  and  chimerian 
gloom.   All  the  great  prophets,  ancient  philosophers,  and  heav 
enly  books  have  been  the  harbingers  of  peace  and  monitors  against 
war  and  discord.   This  is  the  Divine  foundation;  this  is  the 
Celestial  outpouring;  this  is  the  basis  of  all  the  religions  of 
God. 

In  short,  before  all  the  meetings  in  the  West  I  cried  out: 
0,  ye  thinkers  of  the  world;  0,  ye  philosophers  of  the  Occident; 

£  Many  extracts  from  these  letters  are  now  preserved  in  a 
volume  called  'L'Epitre  au  Fils  du  Loup'  translated  from  Persian 
into  French  by  H.  Dreyfus. 

107 


ABDUL  BAHA  ON  THE  BALCONY  OP  IKE  HOUSE 
ON  MOUNT  CAKMEL 


THE  HOUSE  WHERE  ABDUL  BAHA  OFTEN  STAYS 
ON  THE  SLOPE  OF  MOUNT  CARMEL 


108 


0,  ye  scholars  and  sages  of  the  earth.  A  threatening  black  cloud 
is  behind,  which  ere  long  shall  envelop  the  horizon  of  human 
ity.   An  impetuous  tempest  is  ahead,  which  shall  shatter  to 
splinters  the  ship  of  the  lives  of  mankind,  and  a  turbulent,  fu 
rious  torrent  shall  soon  drown  the  countries  and  nations  of  Eu 
rope.   Awaken  ye!   Awaken  ye!   Become  ye  mindful!   Thus  in  the 
spirit  of  co-operation  we  may  all  arise  with  the  utmost  magnan 
imity,  and  through  the  favor  and  Providence  of  God  hold  aloft 
the  flag  of  the  oneness  of  humanity,  promote  the  essentials  of 
universal  peace,  and  deliver  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  from 
this  'Most  Great  Danger.' 

While  travelling  in  Europe  and  America,  1  met  altruistic  and 
sanctified  souls,  who  were  my  confidants  and  associates  concern 
ing  the  question  of  universal  peace,  and  who  agreed  with  me  and 
joined  their  voices  with  mine  regarding  the  principles  of  the 
world  of  humanity;  but  alas,  they  were  very  few!   the  leaders  of 
public  opinion  and  the  great  statesmen  beleived  that  the  massing 
of  huge  armies  and  the  annual  increase  of  military  forces  insured 
peace  and  friendship  among  nations.   At  that  time  I  explained 
that  this  theory  was  based  on  a  false  conception,  for  it  is 
an  inevitable  certainty  that  these  serried  ranks  and  disci 
plined  armies  will  be  rushed  one  day  into  the  heat  of  the  bat 
tlefield,  and  these  inflammable  materials  will  unquestionably  be 
exploded,  and  the  explosion  will  be  through  one  tiny  spark.  Then 
a  uorla  conflagration  will  be  witnessed,  the  lurid  flames  o ..-'." 
which  shall  redden  all  the  horiaons.   Because  the  sphere  of 
their  thoughts  was  contracted  and  their  intellectual  eyes  blind 
they  could  not  acknowledge  the  above  explanation. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  Balkan  Confederation  a  number  of 
important  personages  inquired  cf  me  whether  this  Balkan  war  was 
the  expected  universal  war,  but  it  was  answered:  'It  will  termi 
nate  in  universal  war.  ' 

In  brief,  the  point  to  make  clear  is  this:  His  Holiness, 
Baha'o'llah,  nearly  fifty  years  ago  warned  the  nations  against  the 
occurrence  of  this  'Most  Great  Danger.*   Although  the  evils  of 
war  were  evident  and  manifest  to  the  sages  and  scholars,  they 
are  iiov  made  clear  and  plain  to  all  the  people.   No  sane  person 
can  at  this  time  deny  the  fact  that  war  is  the  most  dreadful 
calamity  in  the  world  of  humanity,  that  war  destroys  the  Divine 
foundation,  that  war  is  the  cause  of  eternal  death,  that  war  is 
conducive  to  the  destruction  of  populous,  progressive  cities, 
that  war  is  the  world- consuming  fire,  and  that  war  is  the  most 
ruinous  catastrophe  and  the  most  deplorable  adversity. 

The  cries  and  lamentations  are  raised  from  every  part  to  the 
Supreme  Apex.   The  meanings  and  shriekings  have  thrown  a  mighty 

109 


reverberation  through  the  column  of  the  world.   The  civilized 
countries  are  being  overthrown.   Eyes  are  shedding  tears,  hear 
ing  the  weeping  of  the  fatherless  children.  The  heart's  are  burn 
ing  and  being  consumed,  by  piercing  sobbings  and  uncontrollable 
wailing  of  helpless,  wandering  women.   The  spirits  of  hopeless 
mothers  arc  torn  by  rayless  grief  and  endless  sorrows,  and  the 
nerve-racking  sighs  and  the  just  complaints  of  the  fathers 
ascend  to  the  throne  of  the  Almighty. 

Ah  me!   The  world  of  creation  is  totally  deprived  of  its 
normal  rests.   The  clash  of  arms  and  the  sound  of  murderous  guns 
and  cannon  are  being  heard  like  the  roaring  of  thunder  across 
the  heavenly  track,  and  the  explosive  materials  have  changed  the 
battlefields  into  yawning  graveyards,  burying  for  eternity  the 
dead  corpses  of  thousands  upon  thousands  of  youths,  the  flowers 
of  many  countries,  who  have  been  evolving  factors  in  the  civil 
isation  of  the  future. 

The  results  of  this  crime  committed  against  humanity  is 
still  worse  than  whatever  I  may  say,  and  can  never  be  adequately 
described  by  pen  or  by  tongue. 

0,  ye  governments  of  the  world!   Be  yc  pitiful  toward  man 
kind!   0,  ye  nations  of  the  earth,  behold  ye  the  battlefields  of 
slaughter  and  carnage!   0,  ye  sages  of  humanity,  investigate 
sympathetically  the  conditions  of  the  oppressed!   0,.  ye  phi';  :>so- 
phers  of  the  West,  study  profoundly  the  causes  that  led  to  this 
gigantic,  unparalelled  struggle!   0,  ye  wise  leaders. of  the 
globe,  reflect  deeply  so  that  ye  may  find  an  antidote  for  the 
suppression  of  this  chronic,  devastating  disease.   0,  ye  indi 
viduals  of  humanity,  find  ye  means  for  the  stoppage  of  this 
wholesale  murder  and  bloodshed.   Now  is  the  appointed  time!   Now 
is  the  opportune  time!   Arise  ye,  show  ye  an  effort,  put  ye  for 
ward  an  extraordinary  force,  and  unfurl  ye  the  flag  of  universal 
peace  and  dam  the  irrestible  force  of  this  raging  torrent  which 
is  wreaking  havoc  and  ruin  everywhere. 

Although  this  captive  has  been  in  the  prison  of  despotism 
for  forty  years,  yet  he  has  never  been  so  sad  and  stricken  with 
regret  as  in  these  days.   My  spirit  is  aflame  and,  burning.   My 
heart  is  broken,  mournful,  heavy,  and  despondent.   My  eyes  are 
weeping  and  my  soul  is  on  fire.   Oh!  I  am  so  bowed  down  and 
sorrowful . 

0,  people,  weep  and  cry,  lament  and  bemoan  your  fate.   Then 
hasten  ye,  hasten  ye,  perchance  ye  ma3r  become  able  to  extinguish 
with  the  water  of  the  newborn  ideals  of  spiritual  Democracy  and 
celestial  Freedom  this  many-flamed,  world- consuming  fire,  and 

110 


through  your  heaven- inspired  resolution  you  may  usher  in  the 
golden  era  of  international  solidarity  and  world  confederation. 

0,  Kind  God!   Hearken  to  the  cry  of  these  helpless  nations. 
0,  Pure  Lord!   Show  Thy  pity  to  these  orphaned  children.   0,  in 
comparable  Almighty!   Stop  this  destructive  torrent.   0,  Creator 
of  the  world  0.116.  the  inhabitants  thereof!   Cause  the  extinction 
of  this  burning  fire.   0,  Listener  to  our  cries,  come  to  the 
rescue  of  the  orphans.   0,  Ideal  Comforter, console  the  mothers 
whose  hearts  are  torn  and  whose  souls  are  filled  with  the  blood 
of  irremediable  loss.   0,  Clement  and  Merciful!  Grant  the  bless 
ing  of  Thy  Grace  to  the  weeping  eyes  and  burning  hearts  of  xne 
fathers.   Restore  calmness  to  this  surging  tempest  and  change 
this  world-encircling  war  into  peace  and  conciliation. 

Verily  Thou  art  the  Omnipotent  and  the  Powerful,  and  verily 
Thou  art  the  Seeing  and  the  Hearing.** 

(Signed)  ABDUL  BAHA  ABBAS. 


Ill 


DNIVEB8IT" 
IHI3 


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JUL301954LU 


YE   16960 


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printing  and  handling. 


The  Mashrak-El-Azkar 

By   Chas.    Mason    Remev. 

Comprising — Quotations  from 
Abdul  Baha's  words — An  his 
torical  sketch  of  the  Bahai 
Movement — A  general  explana 
tion  of  the  Mashrak-El-Azkar 
(Bahai  Temple) — A  description 
of  the  Mashrak-El-Azkar  in 
Eshkhabad  in  Russian  Turkistan 
and — An  account  of  the  pre 
paratory  work  for  building  the 
first  Mashrak-E  1  -  A  z  k  a  r  in 
America,  with  descriptions  and 
illustrations  of  an  exhibit  of 
nine  preliminary  designs  for 
this  building,  showing  various 
treatments  in  different  styles  of 
architecture. 

This  book  contains  a  portrait 
of  Abdul  Baha  and  nineteen 
architectural  illustrations. 

A  large  volume,  bound  in  cloth, 

Postage— additional. 


This  book  weighs  2  pounds.  For 
postage,  see  parcel  post  rate  between 
your  town  and  Chicago. 


